I am committed to protecting the elderly. In 2001, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office created the Elder Abuse Program, dedicated to prosecuting crimes against elderly and vulnerable victims. The Elder Abuse Project focuses on the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of physical and financial crimes against the elderly and other vulnerable adults.
When the Elder Abuse Program first started in 2001, elder abuse cases were often undetected and commonly unreported. Even if the cases were reported, law enforcement and prosecution efforts were not always tailored to address the unique needs of these types of cases. As a result, the perpetrators of these types of crimes went unpunished, and elderly and other vulnerable victims went unprotected.
Seattle and the surrounding King County area have a population of approximately 1.7 million. Nearly 15% of our population is aged 65 or older. This number is expected to double by 2030.
I recognize that as our population ages, that it is increasingly important for prosecution, law enforcement, and social service agencies to work together to develop a specialized approach to handle these cases.
The Elder Abuse Program in our office has been successful in increasing community awareness regarding crimes against the elderly, in developing a formal, specialized training program for law enforcement to help them recognize and investigate these types of cases, and in creating a multi-disciplinary taskforce made up of prosecution, law enforcement, social services, medical experts, advocacy groups, and private industry that has worked collaboratively to increase reporting and to improve response to elder abuse. This taskforce has also improved the quality and availability of services to elder crime victims.
In October 2009, our office, one of seven recipients in the nation, was awarded a federal three-year grant from the Office of Violence Against Women to provide enhanced training to prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, and direct service providers to improve our region’s response to elder abuse cases. This grant represents national recognition of our office’s innovation and leadership in tackling elder abuse cases.
Facebook
Dan Satterberg
3 weeks ago
It's time for prosecutors in our country to rethink the traditional role of the prosecutor and look at new ways we can partner with defense attorneys, community leaders, and service providers in our regions to make our communities safer.
I recently co-authored a memo with Ronald Wright, a law professor at Wake Forest University, that outlined specific strategies we should put into practice to transform the criminal justice system.
You can read the full report here: thecrimereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/IIP-Community_Trust-paper.pdf ... See MoreSee Less
Memo to the Nation’s Newest Prosecutors: Restore Your Community’s Trust
thecrimereport.org
Only a major overhaul of prosecutors’ traditional practices can remove the long-festering distrust and racism that have alienated many American from the justice system and created a “public safety...Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Google PlusShare on Linked InShare by Email
Comment on Facebook
Nice work Dan Satterberg! I enjoyed the read.
Twitter
Dan SatterbergFollow2311,649
I'll be your prosecutor and so much more!
I appreciate the retweet by one of the true icons of criminal justice ethics @JTravis48 Our profession has much work to do to build community trust, but also many great new DA’s in America who aspire to do just that.
Gun violence is highly concentrated among young people and communities of color. Data helps us identify where to focus community-led intervention efforts to prevent more violence. We have much work ahead.