Klamath County commissioners approved the additional protective services investigator position on Tuesday.
The county has seen at least 200 more residents seeking help from the Office of Developmental Disability Services over the last couple of years. The office believes those increases have resulted in more reports of abuse and exploitation.
“That can range across a myriad of situations," said Director Myles Maxey. "That could be they feel like their provider or their family is taking their money, that could be physical abuse, that could be sexual abuse.”
The new investigator will help one other specialist on staff look into around 30 reports per month. At least five of those on average will turn into full-fledged, multi-week investigations, Maxey said. Those incidents range from minor disputes to criminal acts that require police involvement.
Right now, much of the work evaluating reports falls on other staff members who are often busy with their own jobs, Maxey said. Having a second investigator will decrease the need to do that.
“I think there will still be times that we may need to pull in those additional staff," Maxey said. "But it is backup. It's part of their job description, just not a primary. It's very much a secondary aspect of their job.”
Maxey said they’ll begin taking applicants immediately.