In 1985, the Victim Advocate Unit was created to assist citizens cope with the aftermath of crime. The unit continues today this goal of assisting victims.
The unit consists of a unit manager, five victim advocates and one support services coordinator. Additionally, seven trained volunteers assist the advocates with night and weekend callouts. The first priority of the unit is to provide crisis intervention to traumatized victims and survivors by responding to the crime scenes. Secondly, it is important to educate the crime victim and survivors about the criminal justice system.
Victim Advocates provide a wide variety of services to crime victims including referral to social service agencies, accompaniment to depositions, hearings, trials and assistance with completing injunctions for protection.