Study Assesses Elder Abuse Training in Texas
Law enforcement officers are often the first to respond to and investigate suspected cases of elder abuse, but nine out of 10 officers receive no training on how to handle these cases, according to a study by the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) at Sam Houston State University.
In a survey of Texas law enforcement leaders and training instructors, more than half of the 272 officers who participated said they have faced situations involving elderly persons in the field and could have benefitted from training on the topic. The majority of those surveyed said they would like mandated training on elder abuse to be offered at police academies, and others polled would like to have a one-time training available for all sworn officers.
Vol 19 No 33