Clearfield County Workers Trained To Help Elders

Local police department officers in Clearfield County recently received training on elder abuse entitled “Victimization of the Elderly: Criminal Investigation & Prosecution”,  according to a local news report. The training was overseen by a local attorney and a certified fraud examiner who are both associated with the Pennsylvania Institute on Protective Services at Temple University-Harrisburg.

The training specifically consisted of educating law enforcement personnel on issues surrounding crimes targeting older adults.  The training session also covered "legal, social and psychological issues confronted by the investigator in resolving these cases". The crimes specifically discussed included theft (and identity theft), access device fraud, forgery, abuse and neglect, homicide, and the corresponding procedural and legal issues.  Since financial crimes of the elderly are being more common, they also focused on working with banks and finding ways to efficiently review financial information.

Information sessions such as these are helpful for many types of groups dealing with elder abuse issues.  It would be very helpful if all law enforcement personnel in the state of Pennsylvania could be trained to recognize and handle elder abuse claims in this way. 

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer in Altoona, PA serving clients throughout the western and central Pennsylvania area.  For more information on his firm, please click here.