Fairland/Ottawa County LE-VS

The purpose of this award, funded under the OVC FY 2019 Law Enforcement-Based Victim Specialist Program, is to develop or enhance crime victim specialist programs within law enforcement agencies to better support victims through the criminal justice process including connecting them with community-based direct victim services programs to more quickly and more effectively serve them. The City of Fairland’s Police Department and the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department will increase the capacity of Northeast Oklahoma to connect survivors of violent crimes and their families to coordinated and trauma-informed services. The project objectives include hiring a law-enforcement based victim specialist, developing and distributing materials about the program, training and developing the victim specialist (who will disseminate information to regional law enforcement and community service providers), and responding to violent crimes by providing onsite response/referrals to direct service providers. The project will allow the entire northeastern corner of Oklahoma to have a dedicated law enforcement-based Victim Specialist who will respond with police and work directly with the victims of crime to help them recover from the trauma of their victimization by providing on-the-scene trauma-informed crisis intervention, directing victims to direct service providers, and following up as needed to ensure justice and long-term healing. CA/NCF