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Juvenile Crimes Against the Elderly

NCJ Number
83564
Author(s)
F P Morello
Date Published
1982
Length
329 pages
Annotation
Narrowing its focus to crimes against the elderly committed by juveniles has enabled the South Brooklyn (N. Y.) Senior Citizen Robbery Unit (SCRU) to develop successful specialized tactical and investigative methods, particularly the use of decoy teams, aimed at pinpointing precinct-specific crime patterns.
Abstract
Research data; case histories; and verbatim interviews with victims, offenders, and juvenile justice officials offer a picture of juveniles' methods and motivations and of SCRU's counteroffensives. The typical juvenile offender assaults and robs the elderly victim, usually female, in apartment-house vestibules or lobbies or in the victim's apartment. The offender often follows the victim (encountered by chance or staked out) to the apartment door and forces it open. This 'push in' robbery can then be conducted out of public view. The SCRU has focused on the 'push in' robbery. Its decoy teams roam high-crime areas and lure potential suspects by dressing a decoy as an elderly woman, who flashes money in view of a potential suspect. If the suspect moves in on the decoy, the backup team makes the arrest. The text explains the SCRU's organization, operation, and equipment, and describes three decoy operations. The SCRU team responsible for investigating complaints from elderly citizens relates evidence of crime patterns to precinct and area zone maps. A scenario leading to the capture of a suspect wanted for a series of assaults against elderly women highlights the joint efforts of the decoy and investigative team. The text includes a discussion of the pros and cons of using hypnosis in criminal investigations, particularly with elderly victims. Tables, chapter notes, and 19 references are provided, as are indexes and a list of 16 readings.