JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HONORS AN ELDER PROTECTION TEAM WITH CRIME VICTIMS FINANCIAL RESTORATION AWARD

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JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HONORS AN ELDER PROTECTION TEAM WITH CRIME VICTIMS FINANCIAL RESTORATION AWARD

          WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today awarded the San Mateo County, California, Elder and Dependent Adult Protection Team (EDAPT) the Crime Victims Financial Restoration Award during the annual National Crime Victims’ Service Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. This honor is awarded to individuals, programs or teams that have developed innovative ways of funding services for crime victims, or instituted innovative approaches for securing financial restoration for crime victims.

          “The dedicated men and women of the San Mateo Elder and Dependent Adult Protection Team have helped to deliver justice on behalf of hundreds of older victims, curbing fraud and abuse and recouping crippling financial losses,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Criminals see America’s aging population as an opportunity to ply their nefarious trade, but this team of experts has closed off avenues for exploitation and in so doing has become a model for other jurisdictions.”

          The Elder and Dependent Adult Protection Team mobilizes the expertise of law enforcement officers, social workers and attorneys in a collective effort to prevent, investigate and prosecute financial abuse among older and dependent adults. Since the program began in January 2016, staff have conducted almost 425 trainings, outreach seminars and community education programs to promote awareness of elder financial abuse and victims’ services. The team has shortened the response time in investigating financial elder abuse, created a robust prosecution unit dedicated to pursuing these crimes — resulting in $1.7 million in restitution for financial abuse victims — and provided training and case consultation for local law enforcement.

          “Many older Americans experience social isolation and diminished financial capacity and are especially vulnerable to financial exploitation and abuse,” said Office of Justice Programs Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Matt M. Dummermuth. “San Mateo County is doing something about this mounting public safety issue. In little more than three years, it has put financial predators on notice and given senior citizens a long-awaited sense of peace and security.”

          The Department’s Office for Victims of Crime, a component of OJP, leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and hosts an annual award ceremony. President Reagan proclaimed the first Victims’ Rights Week in 1981, calling for greater sensitivity to the rights and needs of victims. This year’s observance takes place April 7-13, with the theme “Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future.”