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House commission opens probe into rising crimes against older adults; agencies present data and ask for time to deliver records
Summary
The House Commission on Public Safety opened an investigation under Joint Resolution 374 into crimes against people 60 and older. AARP, the Procuradora’s office, Justice and police outlined data gaps and recommended interagency protocols; the commission gave agencies 10 business days to submit statistics and meeting minutes.
The House Commission on Public Safety convened July 7 to begin an investigation ordered by Joint Resolution 374 into crimes and security threats affecting residents age 60 and older. The commission heard presentations from AARP volunteers, the Office of the Procuradora de las Personas de Edad Avanzada, the Department of Justice and Police of Puerto Rico and instructed agencies to provide written data and meeting minutes within 10 business days.
Aida González, speaking for AARP Puerto Rico, told the commission that violence and financial exploitation against older adults have risen in visibility and that the organization’s commissioned survey found large worries about safety among older cohorts. González said the study — available to the commission — showed, among other findings, that a majority of respondents age 45 and older cited safety as a reason they might leave Puerto Rico and that many reported feeling unsafe walking alone.
Valeria Rosado Rosario Cuevas, appearing on behalf of the Office of the Procuradora de las Personas de Edad Avanzada, read the office’s statistics for fiscal 2024–25 and said the procuradora’s agency received 7,476 complaints in the cited period, with financial exploitation the largest single category of allegation. The procuradora’s office cited Law 121 (2019) as the statutory framework for orders of protection and called for improved category‑by‑age data collection.
Representatives of the Department of Justice said the legislative investigative power is available for this work and presented Administrative Order 2025‑11, which creates a Unidad Especializada de Maltrato a Adultos Mayores. The order lays out duties including appointment of fiscal enlaces in each district, priority handling of elder‑abuse complaints, coordination with victim services and requirements for timely referral and investigation.
Teniente José Sánchez Marchán of the Police of Puerto Rico described how the police record referrals and said the agency has created a coordinator role for older‑adult incidents; he cautioned that trends in raw crime counts must be interpreted in light of demographic shifts and reporting methodologies.
During a sustained question‑and‑answer period, committee members pressed agencies for disaggregated statistics (by age bands and sex), minutes of interagency meetings that have been held monthly, and the current status of the proposed interagency protocol. The chair formally requested that the Department of Justice, Department of Public Safety, Police of Puerto Rico and the Procuradora submit the requested statistics, meeting minutes and any draft legislative language within 10 business days.
The hearing closed with legislators and agency representatives agreeing to continue work on data harmonization, outreach campaigns and legal fixes to improve detection, prosecution and prevention of crimes aimed at older adults.
