As police leaders, we are dedicated to protecting our communities from crime and violence. This duty encompasses a broad array of responsibilities, not the least of which is protecting vulnerable populations. Unfortunately, crimes committed against these populations, which often occur out of the public eye, often to victims who are unable or unwilling to report them, are not addressed as aggressively as other crimes.
This is why IACP leadership has made protecting vulnerable populations a priority for the association. In particular, IACP has directed recent focus on elder abuse, intimate partner violence, and child abuse.
Elder Abuse
In recent years, we have seen increased rates of elder abuse due to an aging global population coupled with public service efforts directed toward reporting cases of neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and financial exploitation.1 To put things into perspective, the global population of people who are 60 years old and older will more than double from almost 1 billion today to 2 billion in the next 30 years.2
In the United States, approximately 1 in 10 seniors aged 60 and older will experience some form of elder abuse.3 Compounding an existing problem, the evolution of technology has exposed seniors to new subcategories of exploitation: identity theft, hacking, and scams. At-risk adults can easily become victims of unknown callers and convincing emails that request money or personal identifying information.
To address this issue, the IACP is working with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), to help guide law enforcement agencies in combating this problem.
The IACP, in conjunction with DOJ, is working to develop an array of resources, including roll-call training videos, to aid patrol officers in identifying signs of elder abuse and recognizing evidence that can protect victims of abuse. These videos and other resources will help officers effectively communicate with victims, service providers, and investigators working elder abuse cases. Additionally, these resources will assist public safety emergency dispatchers in identifying potential cases of elder abuse before officers arrive.
The IACP is also working on tools to aid detectives and investigators in distinguishing suspicious patterns in cases to help better identify the financial exploitation of elders.
Intimate Partner Violence
The crimes of intimate partner violence, including sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and strangulation, are drastically underreported. The decision by a victim to report this violence to law enforcement can be difficult and can be even more complex for individuals who, for example, identify as LGBTQ+, are documented or undocumented immigrants, are survivors of other victimization, or are sex workers. However, when these crimes are reported, the first responders and investigators set the tone of the agency’s interactions with the victim. Clear agency policies, comprehensive training, and responsive supervision and accountability systems can have a significant impact on a victim’s experience.
To strengthen response to these crimes, the IACP has developed resources and training events related to intimate partner violence. Current projects include the following:
- Police Response to Violence Against Women
- National Law Enforcement Leadership Initiative on Violence Against Women
- Trauma Informed Sexual Assault Investigation Training
- Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence
Child Abuse
In 2016, an estimated 676,000 children in the United States experienced some form of abuse. Whether these crimes take the form of neglect (74.8 percent), physical abuse (18.2 percent), or sexual abuse (8.5 percent), they are horrific, and police agencies must do all they can to address them.4
To assist agencies, 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. These resources, which are available on the IACP website, include
- Enhancing Police Responses to Children Exposed to Violence;
- Combatting Child Sex Trafficking: A Guide for Law Enforcement Leaders;
- Toolkit: “Child Sex Trafficking: A Training Series for Frontline Officers”; and
- IACP’s Youth Focused Policing Resource Center.
Additional resources for agencies seeking information about child abuse include
- FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative;
- “Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: A Fact Sheet” by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; and
- Yale School of Medicine Child Study Center.
It is my hope that all police leaders will take advantage of these resources and do all they can to ensure that their agencies are well positioned to protect those who are, all too often, overlooked by society.
Notes:
1Kathleen Quinn and William Benson, “The States’ Elder Abuse Victim Services: A System in Search of Support,” Generations 36, no. 3 (Fall 2012): 66–72.
2World Health Organization, “Ageing and Health,” fact sheet, September 2015.
3Mark S. Lachs and Karl A. Pillemer, “Elder Abuse,” New England Journal of Medicine 373 (2015): 1947–56.
4U.S. Department of Health & Human Resources, Child Maltreatment 2016 (Washington DC: Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children’s Bureau, 2018), ii.
Please cite as
Louis M. Dekmar, “Protecting the Most Vulnerable in Our Communities,” President’s Message, The Police Chief 85, no. 4 (April 2018): 6.
