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Denver's new Elder Abuse Unit already has 200+ cases

Posted at 5:02 PM, Jul 31, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-31 21:01:44-04

DENVER – The city’s new Elder Abuse Unit has already received more than 200 cases since it got started in early June.

The unit, which is under the command of the Denver District Attorney’s Office, focuses on physical abuse and neglect crimes made against at-risk adults aged 70 or older, and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

The Denver Police Department has a sergeant and three detectives working on a special victims unit within the Elder Abuse Unit as well.

The unit was made after mandatory reporting became a law in Colorado in 2014, and took hold earlier this year.

Elderly citizens lose an estimated $2.9 billion each year from scams, according to the American Journal of Public Health.

Timothy Blair, one of the detectives working with the unit, says it’s been helpful because of the number of cases involving people taking advantage of elderly people.

“This is what people want,” Blair said. “People want to get their hands on the money. Sometimes it’s scammers, but most of the time, unfortunately, it’s the family members.”

He said about 70 percent of all cases involve the exploitation of an elderly person, and that it often involves another family member.

For more information on the new unit and how to protect your elderly family members from becoming victims, click here.