Cobb Reporter

Joe Gavalis, 77, from East Cobb and Dan Flynn, 72, from Marietta are both retired law enforcement officers who have accumulated over 75 years of experience in their respective careers. Despite their retirement, they remain active in their commitment to serve the community by volunteering for the North Georgia Elder Abuse Task Force Foundation. This nonprofit organization comprises both active and retired investigators, prosecutors, and social service workers with a mission to protect Georgia's senior citizens from elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Gavalis and Flynn have facilitated more than 60 training sessions on abuse for local law enforcement through the foundation. They also provide guidance to active officers handling cases related to elder abuse. Flynn, whose career spanned 48 years including police chief positions in Marietta and Savannah, noted that most police officers lack the necessary training to investigate financial crimes.

Speaking about his work on elder fraud cases, Flynn said: "It feels wonderful." Both he and Gavalis collaborate with the Georgia attorney general’s office to distribute consumer guides aimed at educating older adults on how to protect themselves against fraud and abuse. Their outreach extends to senior centers, assisted living facilities, and community groups—an effort Flynn estimates has reached up to 8,000 people.

"We bring credibility because of our backgrounds," stated Gavalis who retired from the U.S. Department of Labor as an organized crime investigator in 1998. After investigating racketeering throughout his career, he started a forensic accounting business. While working in California, he came across an anti-elder abuse task force that inspired him to apply his skills in Georgia.

Kathy Stokes, director of AARP fraud prevention programs underscored the vulnerability of older individuals stating: "All of us are susceptible to fraud. It’s just when the older person is the victim; they lose so much more money and so it can be catastrophic."