Elder Abuse Squad Getting Slammed With Cases

Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - By Lynn Kawano

Retirement should be spent on cruise ships and playing bingo, but police say, thieves see the golden years as golden opportunities.

Scams against the elderly are on the rise. And there are so many different scams, police have a hard time keeping up.

Since 2008, elder abuse cases have risen almost 300%.

Honolulu Police and prosecutors teamed up that year to form an Elder Abuse Justice Squad. The size of the squad has since doubled in 2010, then expanded again last year.

The unit does not just handle scams against seniors but also physical abuse and neglect.

"The elders do not complain," says Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro. "When they are physically abused, they do not complain. And when they do complain, people don't believe them."

Kaneshiro says he wants the world to know that Hawaii is not a place that ignores crimes against the elderly.

Read more:
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/23911991/elder-abuse-squad-getting-slammed-with-cases

In Los Angeles County the police and prosecutors tell victims and their families to seek a "civil remedy."

http://benamarine.blogspot.com/2010/11/commitment-to-daddy.html

As of this writing the civil verdict has not been enforced.

http://benamarine.blogspot.com/2012/06/fuller-decision.html

It must be noted that L.A. County has nothing in place to combat Elder Abuse; Financial Elder abuse... to combat this epidemic.