Angela McCown, LMFT | 2024 National Crime Victims' Service Awards

ANGELA McCOWN: I've been able to watch some cases go from the moment that the crime occurred up until post-conviction, and it's given me great joy to see people find hope. Good to see you. 

WOMAN: Always. 

ANGELA McCOWN: I’m good. And you have on Keith's shirt. 

WOMAN: I do. 

ANGELA McCOWN: When I joined the Texas Department of Public Safety, they had no victim services at all. When I left the program, we had eight regional victim services counselors, all licensed clinicians, a huge peer support program made up of highway patrol troopers, criminal investigators, Texas Rangers, their spouses. 

We saw a huge shift in the way that the agency was providing services to victims of violent crime and a tremendous shift in the way that victims were viewing that agency as well. 

[phone ringing] Victim Services, this is Angie. 

When I came to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, we made some sweeping changes. We used to only be able to make notifications with letters. We now can do them with texts, emails, and letters. 

What are, like, the top five things that you think are most important? 

Victims are able to go in and log on the portal and self-select their own notifications. We're able to do electronic victim impact statements. There's just a whole plethora of opportunities. 

We were able to have the Texas Victim Assistance Academy transferred to us, and we created an online curriculum, and it was the very first one in the United States. 

We offer victim-offender mediation dialogue. 

We also have a hotline. And we now have 10 positions to work with our staff when they've experienced critical incidents. 

I have been to every National Police Week in the last 26 years. 

I am the counselor for the 6-year-olds who lost their parent in the line of duty. So, I've developed a very significant bond with those kids. 

When you can be in a space with someone who's been victimized or exposed to a trauma, you make such a huge difference. And not everybody gets to get up every day and go to work and do that.