Core Elements and Challenges

Community Awareness

Many site programs needed to transform the public's perception of their agencies—often, residents were not accustomed to having a law enforcement agency initiate victim services. To enhance their credibility, victim services staff at many sites presented workshops, participated in community events, and wrote newspaper articles to educate the public on victimization issues and services offered by the law enforcement agency and in the community. Many coordinated publicity campaigns to raise public awareness of their programs, nurture a positive view of the agency in the community, and encourage officers to support their efforts. Some reached out to specific populations such as older adults to build their trust in and use of their programs.