House Public Safety panel hears support, calls for protocols on bill to give special investigators role in elder financial-exploitation cases

A hearing of the House of Representatives Public Safety Committee on May 13 examined House Project 487, a proposal to amend Article 7.4 of Law 20 (2017) to give the Negociado de Investigaciones Especiales (NIE) concurrent jurisdiction to investigate cases of financial exploitation of older adults when staff of residential homes, substitute homes or 24‑hour care institutions are involved.

The measure drew broad support from the Department of the Family, the Office of the Ombudsperson for Older Adults (Oficina del Procurador de las Personas de Edad Avanzada, OPEA) and the Department of Public Safety, which told the committee the change would strengthen investigations but requires protocols to avoid duplication of effort.

Why it matters: Puerto Rico’s population of adults 60 and older is growing, witnesses said, and complaints of financial exploitation have risen in recent years. Committee members and agency representatives said clearer interagency rules would speed response and reduce overlap between the NIE, the Police Bureau and family‑services investigators.

The Department of the Family presented written comments and said it favors the amendment, arguing the NIE’s investigative capacity would “facilitaría la investigación y los procedimientos” and be “de gran apoyo” to family‑services work. Dr. Eddy García Fuentes, administrator auxiliary for services to older adults and adults with disabilities at the Department of the Family, told the panel the department must continue to validate referrals and, when appropriate, refer cases to police and the Department of Justice for criminal action.

The…