Senior and disability victimization: law enforcement policies.

Existing law makes it a crime for a person entrusted with the care or custody of any elder or dependent adult to willfully cause the elder or dependent adult to be injured or permit the elder or dependent adult to be placed in a situation in which the elder or dependent adult's person or health is endangered. Existing law also authorizes county adult protective services agencies and local long-term care ombudsman programs to investigate elder and dependent adult abuse, but grants law enforcement agencies the exclusive responsibility for criminal investigations. Existing law requires local law enforcement agencies and long-term care ombudsman programs to revise or include in their policy manuals, as defined, specified information regarding elder and dependent adult abuse. This bill would eliminate the duty imposed on long-term care ombudsman programs to revise or include in their policy manuals specified information regarding elder and dependent adult abuse. The bill would also authorize local law enforcement agencies to adopt a policy regarding senior and disability victimization, as defined. The bill would require, if a local law enforcement agency adopts or revises a policy regarding elder or dependent adult abuse or senior and disability victimization on or after April 13, 2021, that the policy include specified provisions, including provisions related to enforcement and training. The bill would also make clarifying changes to provisions related to the entities that have jurisdiction to investigate elder and dependent adult abuse.