Local agencies investigate, educate on senior crimes
With Pennsylvania ranking second in the nation for senior citizens by population, many counties have instituted special investigative and prosecutorial divisions to handle cases involving older residents.
Montgomery County has established an Elder Abuse Unit to investigate and prosecute crimes against seniors, with assistant district attorneys providing training to police and prosecutors, and performing educational outreach efforts.
Chester County has likewise put in place the Elder Abuse Task Force, made up of the Chester County Department of Aging, the District Attorney’s Office, private attorneys and members of the banking industry.
In Delaware County, District Attorney Katayoun Copeland said the Senior Exploitation Unit has investigated more than 7,000 cases including thefts of more than $3 million since it was established in 2003.
“A lot of what they do is investigate theft – fiduciary theft, credit card thefts, physical abuse financial thefts, that sort of thing,” said Copeland, who was appointed in January to serve out the remainder of former District Attorney Jack Whelan’s term when he took a post on the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas last year.
Copeland noted Whelan was instrumental before he left in expanding the unit to include Senior Victims Services, a former nonprofit
organization that had existed for at least a quarter of a century with the aim of helping elderly victims get their lives back on track following a crime.
Senior Victim Services is now under the purview of the District Attorney’s Office and is funded by an ongoing grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The office has helped more than 400 seniors with more than 1,200 services in the last fiscal year, according to Director Chelsey Price. About 200 or 300 more had at least some contact with her office, she said.
Though the DA’s office and Senior Victim Services historically worked hand-in-hand, Copeland said that bringing them into the fold of the Senior Exploitation Unit has improved the ease of communication and cooperation tremendously.
Price said that her office chiefly provides much needed advocacy for seniors going through a traumatic experience. Advocates are available by phone, through appointment or simply by walking in to the Media office. Often times, she said, the office serves as the first point of contact for a senior who might be wary of reporting a crime or is even unsure if they have been victimized until they discuss their experience with an advocate.
“Many seniors throughout the county don’t report that they’re victims of crime, unfortunately, and they don’t do it because they’re afraid that they could be targeted again,” said Copeland. “They’re also afraid that a family member might find out and
might believe that they’re not able to handle their own affairs, so they’re cautious and sometimes reluctant to disclose that they’ve become a victim of a crime.”
“Sometimes, we are the only individuals in their lives that know what’s going on, because they have that fear, embarrassment and shame,” said Price.
Perpetrators often exploit the victims’ loneliness, said Price. Many clients relate that the person scamming them on the phone might have been the first person who listened to them for more than 10 minutes, or played on their desire to help a family member in dire need.
Some play a longer game, said Price, slowly building confidence over a period of months before getting to the “ask,” and many are now even using dating applications to target their victims.
Copeland pointed to one case in which the alleged perpetrator helped an elderly woman up after she fell, then befriended her and moved in with her. Within a period of a few months, he had bled her savings of more than $180,000, leaving her nearly penniless, said Copeland.
Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division Chief Joseph Ryan said that the highest dollar amounts involved in senior exploitation crimes typically come from those who gain control over the victim’s bank accounts, such as power-of-attorney situations involving family members.
Price said that for many victims, the impact does not end with the commission or resolution of the crime, but can have lasting
effects on mental well-being, finances and other areas. Her office is able to walk victims through things like obtaining a new identification card, filing paperwork, making phone calls and filling out Victims Compensation Assistance Program claims, which offer up to $35,000 in financial aid to cover expenses large and small – everything from medical bills to replacement eye glasses.
Both the Senior Victim Services and Senior Exploitation Unit also work with other local agencies, including the County Office of Services for the Aging and Women Against Rape, depending on the needs of the victim.
In addition to investigations, Copeland said her office and Senior Victim Services provide numerous presentations at community centers, group homes and other settings in an effort to educate seniors and care givers about current and recurring scams. She said presenters will urge the audience to take the information with them and spread it to friends and family to make sure it reaches the widest possible audience.
Ryan estimated the office puts on one or two such presentations a week and Copeland said there are often people in attendance nodding their heads as they recognize they have seen the types of crimes being discussed in their own lives.
Copeland said a relatively new component of this educational arm has been “safety planning,” or educating seniors about ways they can protect themselves before a crime occurs. This includes urging seniors with security
cameras to participate in a new DA DelCAM initiative that will allow quick access to recorded footage in the event of a crime or missing person.
“When people are aware of the fact that you’ve got a camera in your home and law enforcement is aware of the fact that you’ve got a camera in your home, I think people tend to stay away from a residence like that,” said Copeland.
Ryan added that the senior population is ever growing, especially with Baby Boomers now moving into that group.
“As you have this population getting older, (you will see) more issues with Alzheimer’s, dementia, walking away,” said Ryan. “The DelCAM program we’re promoting is a way to help that. It’s not just about crime prevention, it’s also that we’re going to start seeing more and more seniors with these issues get lost.”
Those with any concerns for friends or family, or who feel they might be the victim of a crime themselves, are urged to contact the Delaware County Senior Exploitation Unit at 610-891-5249 or email seniorcrimes@co.delaware.pa.us.
Senior Victim Services maintains an office eon the third floor of 20 S. Olive Street in Media and can be reached by phone at 610-627-2292.
The Chester County District Attorney’s Office can be reached at 610-344-6801 and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office can be reached at 610-278-3090.