The district attorney in Las Vegas is assigning a team of prosecutors to handle cases involving crimes against people over 60 years old.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a statement that so-called elder abuse crimes like physical and mental abuse, neglect, isolation and financial exploitation can devastate families and have wide community effects.
The new unit brings to 10 the number of prosecutorial teams in the district attorney office, including special victims, gangs, weapons, vehicular crimes and drugs.
Wolfson says police in the Las Vegas area submitted almost 100 cases that qualified for elder abuse prosecution in 2014 and the first half of 2015.
Southern Nevada Senior Law Program chief Sugar Vogel says many cases involve people who are dependent in some way on their abuser.