Every community across the globe, regardless of its general demographics, has members who are experiencing mental illness, substance abuse disorders, or homelessness. As we know from experience, the specific needs of those dealing with such challenging circumstances often require responding officers to approach the situation with a better understanding of those needs. Additionally, our communities include particularly vulnerable populations, including children, older adults, or people with developmental disabilities, who need us to respond to their needs with understanding, compassion, and customized services.

It is our responsibility to prepare our officers to respond effectively and appropriately to both victims and offenders who have special challenges or are especially vulnerable.

While research shows that most community members in these situations encounter the police as victims of crimes, a group in which they are disproportionately represented, our officers also have to respond to calls in which the offender is a member of a vulnerable or disadvantaged segment of the community. It is our responsibility to prepare our officers to respond effectively and appropriately to both victims and offenders who have special challenges or are especially vulnerable, which requires that these issues be addressed in training and policy alike.

Recognizing this worldwide challenge, the IACP is committed to addressing solutions for these populations and ensuring that we have resources available to help us as we seek to fulfill our duty to serve the diverse members of our communities, regardless of age, gender, housing status, mental health, or other such characteristics.

Homelessness, Substance Abuse, and Mental Illness

Many of the challenges faced by members of our community are interconnected. For instance, in many of our jurisdictions, our officers receive calls related to homelessness, either when a person experiencing homelessness is victimized or when nuisance crimes related to homelessness (such as public urination, trespassing, panhandling, etc.) are reported.

However, many of those experiencing homelessness also have mental illnesses or substance abuse disorders. While it is often said that these issues are the province of community services, you and I know that law enforcement is often the first point of contact for these individuals—and that, too often, they end up in the criminal justice system instead of receiving the help they need.

Many of your agencies are taking steps to divert individuals in these circumstances from the revolving door of the criminal justice system toward the service providers who can help them obtain housing, access treatment, or fulfill other needs. However, we cannot do it alone. It is key that our agencies are building partnerships with service providers, faith communities, and community-based organizations to create safer communities across the globe.

As social scientists, service providers, and the public health community work to address homelessness and its varied causes, we in law enforcement must too be part of the solution.

Elder and Child Abuse

It is unfortunate that the two of the most vulnerable groups in communities—older adults and children—often draw the attention of those seeking to exploit them for personal or financial gain. Elder abuse is an issue that has gotten more attention in recent years. As the global population ages and technology continues to spread, the exploitation of older adults through identity theft, hacking, and scams are perpetrated through robocalls and phishing emails requesting money or personally identifiable information. In addition, the physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of older adults often go unnoticed, particularly when the perpetrators of such abuse are family members.

These crimes can be difficult to identify; therefore, to address these crimes and help our agencies protect older adults, the IACP, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice, has recently published resources for law enforcement, including roll-call training videos to aid patrol officers in identifying signs of elder abuse and recognizing evidence of abuse. These videos and other resources will help officers effectively communicate with victims, service providers, and investigators working elder abuse cases. Of particular note is that these resources will assist public safety emergency dispatchers in identifying potential cases of elder abuse before officers arrive. These training videos are valuable on their own or as part of your agency’s training on such crimes.

The IACP has also published the Senior Abuse Financial Tracking and Accounting (SAFTA) Tool, which provides law enforcement with a simplified method for investigating suspicious financial patterns and prosecuting cases of suspected financial exploitation of older adults.

On the other end of the age spectrum, millions of children across the world are victims of neglect, physical abuse, or sexual abuse every year. As with elder abuse, the quick growth of the Internet and technology has enabled more criminals than ever to target children. These crimes are horrific, and those of us who have encountered them on the job know firsthand how heartbreaking and emotionally challenging they can be.

The IACP has developed a number of resources over the years to aid agencies as they strive to protect children by preventing these crimes and by investigating and apprehending those who are responsible for such heinous acts, including the Investigating Child Abuse Model Policy and the Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Children Exposed to Violence Toolkit. These and many other resources available on IACP’s website can be used by your agencies to develop policies and training for responding to children exposed to violence, combating child sex trafficking, and identifying children at risk.

Addressing the needs of vulnerable populations is a challenge for all agencies and communities, regardless of their size or resources. That is why I once again encourage you to build partnerships—both with other law enforcement agencies and community groups or nonprofits—to more effectively protect these individuals. As those our communities trust to protect them, we must lead the charge to effectively serve those facing the most difficult challenges or circumstances to increase the overall safety and health of our communities.

Stay safe.🛡

Please cite as

Paul M. Cell, “Protecting Our Most Vulnerable Communities,” President’s Message, The Police Chief 86, no. 7 (July 2019): 6–7.