Elder Abuse Unit Utilizes Federal Grant to Expand Investigations

Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen’s Elder Abuse Unit are utilizing resources from a federal grant to partner with both local and national leaders in the area of elder abuse to strengthen the investigation and prosecution of suspected elder abusers in our community. In August 2016, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, Police Chief David Rausch, and Gen. Allen announced the receipt of Knoxville’s Enhanced Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Program grant received from the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence against Women. The grant award is for $350,000. At that announcement, over one hundred professionals gathered to learn about the components of the grant. The largest component is training which will be provided to law enforcement, victim service providers, judges, and prosecutors.

Elder Abuse Unit prosecutors Andrea Kline and Willie Santana recently returned from the Prosecutor’s Workshop in Phoenix, Arizona. The workshop consisted of several days of training where prosecutors from all grant communities across the country convened to learn and collaborate on issues related to the prosecution of elder abuse offenders.

Since its inception in October 2014, the DA’s Elder Abuse Unit has reviewed over 1600 cases with nearly nine hundred referrals made during 2016 alone. It is the first unit of its kind in the State of Tennessee.

For more information about the grant, please contact Joseph Winberry, Elder Abuse Grant Program Manager, at 865-524-2786 or joseph.winberry@knoxseniors.org.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.