Roger Demers, Special Assistant Attorney General

The Elder Abuse Unit was established within the Department of Attorney General in the fall of 2005 and conducted its first full year of operation in 2006. The primary responsibility of the unit is investigative management and prosecution of crimes involving elderly victims of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. The Unit consists of a prosecutor, Special Assistant Attorney General Roger Demers; an investigator, Martha Crippen; and a paralegal, Claudia Cardona.

The Unit was created in recognition of the fact that the proportion of Rhode Island's population that is sixty years and older will dramatically increase in the coming years. Coupled with the fact that this age group is the state's fastest growing demographic is that crimes against senior citizens often go unreported, presenting high temptation and low risk factors to potential offenders. The special needs often presented by elder victims, and the fact that elder abuse, neglect and exploitation crosses all racial, socio-economic, gender and geographic lines, made the need for a special unit apparent.

The Unit continued its mission of working with and advising various law enforcement agencies across the state in elder abuse investigations, leading to 65 criminal cases involving elder victims in Providence County alone. Over 50 additional investigations were handled exclusively by members of the Attorney General's Elder Abuse Unit. Successful criminal prosecutions resulted in jail time for many defendants, as well as the recovery of over $210,000.00 in restitution for senior victims. Of particular note was the successful conviction after trial of a man who had been stealing valuables from senior citizens in the City of Cranston by posing as an antique dealer in order to gain access to their homes.

The Elder Abuse Unit continued reaching out to other agencies and organizations to coordinate a multi-agency effort at combating elder abuse. In September, members of the Unit participated in planning and conducting a two-day workshop for training criminal justice professionals to better identify, investigate and respond to abuse against older individuals. Attendees included members of law enforcement, as well as various social service agencies. The workshop featured keynote speaker Chayo Reyes, a retired Los Angeles Police Department Detective who has been combating financial abuse against elders for over 25 years. Members of the Unit also assisted the Department of Elderly Affairs in a one day training for police and fire professionals in October, and look to continue such efforts in the coming year.