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Justice department outlines administrative order creating specialized elder‑abuse unit
Summary
The Department of Justice presented Administrative Order 2025‑11 establishing a Unidad Especializada de Maltrato a Adultos Mayores with fiscal enlaces in each district, priority handling rules and victim‑service coordination; prosecutors said the unit will help prioritize prosecutions but budget and staffing details were not provided.
The Department of Justice told the House Commission on Public Safety on July 7 that it has issued Administrative Order 2025‑11 to create a Unidad Especializada de Maltrato a Adultos Mayores to investigate and prosecute crimes against older adults. The reading described the unit’s scope, chain of command, duties for district fiscal enlaces and coordination requirements with victim services and other agencies.
The order assigns the unit to the Office of the Chief Prosecutor and tasks fiscal district offices to name a fiscal enlace who will coordinate with the unit and prioritize investigations of elder‑abuse complaints. The order directs immediate referral protocols, specifies that interviews be conducted in a paced and respectful manner, and instructs that referrals to victim‑service programs be made the same day as the interview when appropriate.
The Department emphasized that, consistent with the department’s ministerial duty, these cases must be treated with priority and sensitivity. The reading included several procedural safeguards: pre‑agreement (plea negotiation) guidelines require prior notification to the chief prosecutor’s office in high‑interest cases; discretion for plea deals must be documented in writing and justified to the chief of prosecutors.
Prosecutor Brenda Rosado and other DoJ staff described operational expectations: the unit will coordinate training, assist with statistical reporting and work closely with the police's Negociado de Investigaciones Especiales and victim‑services offices. Officials did not present a finalized budget during the hearing and told legislators that budgetary and staffing specifics are governed by the regular budget process and will be supplied to the commission upon request.
During questions, legislators asked for a copy of the administrative order and for detailed operational data; the commission set a 10‑business‑day deadline for the Department of Justice to submit the order, any implementing memoranda and related statistics.
