CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) -
The State of Texas is taking steps to help protect elderly and disabled people in the community.
At the First Baptist Church on Ocean Drive, members of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services kicked off a two-day training session for local law enforcement and members of the Adult Protective Services.
Medical professionals and police detectives were teaching the importance of recognizing abuse, exploitation and neglect, to see that those responsible will be held accountable.
"They are looking for patterns of abuse, patterns of exploitation, things that the average person might not see," said Bonnie Armstrong, executive director of the Shaken Baby Alliance. "They might not recognize something is wrong, but these investigators will be trained to go in an identify exactly what's wrong, and build that case, whether it's on the civil side or the prosecution side."
Adult Protective Services investigated more than 87,000 cases last year, with 58,000 of those cases confirmed. If you suspect abuse or neglect of the elderly, you can make an anonymous report at 1-800-252-5400, of visit www.txabusehotline.org.
