KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Local law enforcement officers learned how to catch and prevent financial crimes targeting elderly citizens on Wednesday.
Research shows about 98 percent of those crimes go unreported. Both Knoxville Police and the Knox County Sheriff's learned how to advocate for victims and identify when these crimes are happening.
Sasha Hammet from the Knoxville CAC said in many cases, it's when families are affected by the opioid crisis.
"Typically, there's a caregiver, family member, some kind of relative in the home. We find that the opioid use by these individuals is really what drives the financial exploitation and that has become a huge problem in this community," Sasha Hammet with Rise Above Crime said.
Hammet said she hopes the training helps stop and prosecute elder abuse in the county.