Stories of children under state supervision being abused or neglected by their caregivers are, sadly, all too familiar. Although it usually receives less publicity, abuse also happens to vulnerable adults living in residences the state operates or with which the state contracts.

Just how serious a problem that can be was documented in South Carolina last October when a nonprofit group, Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities Inc., issued a report documenting the state's generally weak response to allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

One of the problems was that the state agencies responsible for investigating the charges - the Department of Mental Health and Department of Disabilities and Special Needs - also were responsible for taking care of the victims.

Bureaucracies investigating themselves usually don't find much fault with their own operations. They're generally more interested in covering up their mistakes or misdeeds than exposing them.

However, the advocacy group's report got the attention of Palmetto State legislators, who passed a law putting law-enforcement in charge of investigating abuse or neglect of the elderly and disabled in state care.

Lawmakers also allocated $1.3 million for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to hire 14 officers to specifically look into allegations of wrongdoing against vulnerable adults. In Aiken County, there are 25 adult care homes, each housing up to four people, and another 25 living in individual apartments.

The new system, which should be up and running before the end of the year, calls for SLED to man a 24-hour hot line to screen complaints and determine which ones are credible enough to warrant more investigations.

Gloria Post, Protection and Advocacy's executive director, believes the investigations will be much more thorough and independent than was the case previously - and, over time, that should translate into less abuse and better treatment.

Indeed, this is an example of sound, commonsense lawmaking. The social welfare agencies charged with overseeing adult care are bound to be more conscientious with SLED looking over their shoulders.