St. Petersburg Police Department to enhance victim services

This grant award made to the City of St. Petersburg funded under OVC FY 2020 Law Enforcement-Based Victim Specialist Program Purpose Area 2: Mid-Sized Agency, which is designed to develop or enhance and sustain crime victim specialist programs within law enforcement agencies and better coordinate services to victims to more quickly and more effectively serve the victim assistance and compensation needs of all crime victims and inform them of their rights as crime victims. The grantee will serve individuals residing in the City of St. Petersburg, the fifth largest city in Florida. St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) has an authorized sworn strength of 575 officers. The goal of this project is to effectively enhance law enforcement's response to victims of all crimes, but especially victims who experience personal violence crimes; and victims in high-crime and high poverty areas. In an effort to better meet the need for services, the project will support two additional advocates to expand staffing and services of the SPPD victim services program. SPPD's model of service delivery will provide seamless comprehensive services for victims and their families that dramatically increase access to help, safety and efficiency. SPPD's efforts through this project will create a more coordinated response to support victims and a better case transition to prosecution. CA/NCF