May 23, 2005
Contact: Lynn
Kimbrough, 720-913-9025
AREA DISTRICT ATTORNEYS PARTNER
WITH
FAITH COMMUNITIES TO FIGHT ELDER
FRAUD
Denver DA to replicate project
nationally
A pilot
program that helps protect the elderly from becoming victims of
crime has been so successful at the Denver DA’s Office
that it is now being launched in other metro area judicial
districts and replicated across the country.
The CASE Partnership
(Communities Against Senior Exploitation) is a unique
collaboration of prosecutors and faith communities that provides
elder fraud prevention, crime detection and reporting and victim
support. Critical prevention information reaches the elderly
through their church, synagogue or mosque at the same time that
faith leaders are taught how to detect victimization among
elderly members.
Denver District
Attorney Mitch Morrissey is sharing federal grant money to help
start the program in other areas. 1st Judicial
District Attorney Scott Storey and 17th Judicial
District Attorney Don Quick are joining 18th Judicial
District Attorney Carol Chambers in partnering with their faith
communities to protect the elderly from fraud and financial
crime. (The Denver District Attorney's Office shared funding
with the 18th Judicial District in 2004 for CASE
replication.)
Launched in 2002 with a grant to the Denver District Attorney
from the Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of
Justice, the CASE Partnership has grown to more than 450 church,
synagogue and faith-affiliated agencies. CASE staff has
presented more than 350 Power Against Fraud programs.
One of the key components of the ongoing District Attorney-faith
community partnership is monthly DA-issued Fraud Alerts
distributed to more than 350,000 congregational members through
faith community bulletins, newsletters and list-serves.
Responding to the success of the
CASE Partnership, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S.
Department of Justice has awarded the Denver District Attorney's
Office a $300,000 grant to replicate the CASE Partnership
throughout the United States. The Denver DA's Office will
provide project replication toolkits and Web-based training as
well as technical assistance to prosecutorial or law enforcement
agencies nationwide, as well as on-site training for 20 selected
agencies requesting in-depth project replication assistance.
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