Police Officers Help Combat Elder Abuse (IL. USA)

Police officers help combat elder abuse

By Kathleen Ostrander

THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

Jul 08, 2009

Chris Bolinger has been the Springfield Police Department’s Elder Service officer for two years. It’s a job he takes as seriously as when he was with the drug unit.

“Chris’ first day on the job,” recalled Jay Magnuson, who prosecutes crimes against the elderly for the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s office, involved an arrest.

“There was an elderly man, so weak he had to scoot his chair across the kitchen floor to answer the door. His fingernails were two inches long, and the food in the refrigerator was moldy or had maggots in it. He was so thin he looked like a concentration camp refugee. Chris called for an ambulance.

“While they were getting him out, a man drove up in a nice new Corvette and asked Chris what was going on, because he was the man’s son,” Magnuson said. “As soon as he (the man’s son) said he was ‘taking care of’ his father, Chris had the cuffs on him. Chris saves people. That’s it. Pure and simple. He saves people.”

Abridged

SOURCE: The State Journal-Register - Springfield,IL,USA

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