Scared for his safety, his wife Josephine called for help tracking him down. Navejas appeared agitated, picking up a string of wooden blocks and walking toward the cop, who retreated behind a parked car. Navejas threw the wood limply toward the officer; it landed on the windshield.
His body went rigid. He fell face-first onto the sidewalk. He never came home — he died in a rehabilitation facility in March of unrelated natural causes, according to a death certificate. As the U. Any use of force or arrest can be devastating for someone who is already physically and mentally fragile, like Navejas. But an analysis of U. The number of elder arrests is growing faster than the population is aging. National data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also estimates that from to , over 12, people 65 and older ended up in a hospital emergency room for injuries caused by police or private security.
Serious cases have come to light across the country, often captured on police body cams. The officer who pinned her to the ground and broke her arm was sentenced to five years in prison. In , police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, taunted a year-old woman with late-onset bipolar disorder, before tackling and jailing her. In Las Cruces, New Mexico, this April, an officer shot and killed year-old Amelia Baca, who had dementia, as she stood holding two large kitchen knives in the doorway of her home.
Police are often called to track down people who have gotten lost, arrest confused shoplifters, or intervene in domestic disputes. But many officers may not have adequate training on dementia. Some older people can still pose a real threat, regardless of age or cognition. That confusion can seem aggressive if the person is overwhelmed or afraid.
In Largo, Florida, where more than 1 in 4 residents is 65 years or older, Joel Quattlebaum is the senior services officer for the city police department. While he mainly supports older adults who are victims of crime, he gets sent to a wide range of calls involving older residents. He is certified through the National Council for Certified Dementia Practitioners, and helps train new recruits.
