In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, the IACP developed a six-part roll call video series which enables law enforcement to better identify signs of elder abuse and recognize evidence that can lead to a successful prosecution.

Part two of the Identifying and Responding to Elder Abuse: An Officer’s Role video series examines the financial abuse of Mr. Waller in St. Paul, Minnesota, by a stranger. Mr. Waller is a well-known, respected, and loved man in his community that fell victim to stalking, harassment, and financial abuse. Mr. Waller’s abuser encountered him at a local gas station where she asked him for a small amount of money. Mr. Waller complied, but seeing if she could exploit his generosity further, the abuser found out where Mr. Waller lived and began making uninvited appearances at his home during all hours of the day to ask for more money. After Mr. Waller continually asked his niece to retrieve unusual amounts of money from his financial accounts, his niece became suspicious and learned of the problem he was facing. Mr. Waller had the mind-set “if I just give her what she wants, she’ll just go away.”

Thanks to the care of family members, security cameras were installed at Mr. Waller’s home to record the abuser’s appearances. The family of Mr. Waller took the appropriate steps to document the harassment and obtained a restraining order. Law enforcement and the legal system made it a priority to stop this situation and made sure the abuser would face the consequences of her actions. She was ultimately charged and convicted of stalking and required to pay back some of the money to Mr. Waller.

Financial abuse of elders is particularly tragic, because it deprives them from accessing the money that they have earned over their lifetime to sustain their personal needs. At one point during Mr. Waller’s investigation, he stated he felt like a prisoner in his own home. Mr. Waller’s niece summarized financial abuse of an older adult by saying “for someone to be known, loved, and taken advantage of in their community is not okay.” Thanks to the work of law enforcement and Mr. Waller’s family support network, Mr. Waller was able to regain a sense of safety and freedom in his own home.

The roll call videos and other elder abuse resources can be found at https://www.theiacp.org/elder-abuse.