Victims of crime are tasked with navigating complex systems in which they did not ask to participate.

Their ability to meaningfully engage in the criminal justice process is often challenged by the short- and long-term impact of trauma. While victims of crime are afforded legal rights, they are also deserving of responsive, accessible services to assist them in exercising those rights throughout their contact with the criminal justice process.

Law enforcement agencies are uniquely positioned to lead coordinated, collaborative, multidisciplinary, and trauma-informed response to crime victims. However, according to the 2013 Law Enforcement Management Analysis Statistics (LEMAS) report, which is produced by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), only 13 percent of U.S. law enforcement agencies reported having a specialized unit with full- or part-time personnel dedicated to victim assistance.¹

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has the capability to support local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies of all sizes through the Law Enforcement–Based Victim Services and Technical Assistance Program (LEV Program). The LEV Program provides foundational guidance for law enforcement agencies to connect crime victims to vital resources in a coordinated and trauma-informed manner through the development or enhancement of victim services programs. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), these efforts recognize that law enforcement agencies have the ability to ensure victims of crimes are treated with fairness and respect and are notified of their rights, provided with updates on their cases, and given the information and referrals needed to address the often traumatic impacts of victimization.

OVC is taking steps to invest in the development and growth of law enforcement–based victim specialists across the United States, and the IACP is proud to serve as the training and technical assistance provider for agencies selected to receive funding toward these efforts. As of October 2019, through the LEV Program,
52 law enforcement agencies have been selected to receive this crucial funding aimed at supporting collaborations between police and the communities they protect—which can lead to more successful investigations and prosecutions.

Through comprehensive training and technical assistance, led by the IACP and in partnership with the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) and Unified Solutions Tribal Community Development Group, Inc. (Unified Solutions), law enforcement agencies can establish effective and sustainable responses to crime victims. In addition to the creation of an individualized development plan for each funded law enforcement agency, the IACP and its partners utilize innovative strategies to deliver and reinforce concepts and information essential to successful law enforcement–based victim services. These strategies include

• Program Staff Virtual Trainings conducted in a direct instruction format by IACP, NCVLI, and Unified Solutions staff on foundational topics. Additionally, quarterly meetings are scheduled with law enforcement agencies to review the application of information learned through virtual trainings.
• Sworn Staff Virtual Trainings delivered by IACP, NCVLI, and Unified Solutions staff to law enforcement leadership on topics related to victim services.
• Victims’ Rights Virtual Trainings that guide law enforcement agencies toward effective notification of and assistance for crime victims to exercise their constitutional and statutory rights.
• Regional Trainings that cover foundational material related to the development or enhancement of law enforcement–based victim services. These trainings are vital for implementing facilitated peer support and learning.
• Victims’ Rights Jurisdiction Profiles prepared by NCVLI and Unified Solutions in state-specific formats that review and analyze constitutional provisions, statutes, rules, policies, and case law pertaining to victims’ legal rights.
• Timed Publication Release to provide guidance on promising practices and overarching topics to include advocacy parameters, documentation considerations, partnerships and collaborations, and overall value of victim services. Supplemental publications in a template package series provide practical templates for personnel standards and responsibilities and crime-specific protocols that can be adapted to individual jurisdictions.

The IACP is committed to providing law enforcement agencies with guiding information toward ethical victim services program standards, responsible and effective staffing models, and high-quality service delivery to crime victims. To ensure open access to this guidance, all virtual trainings and publications are available at no-cost on the IACP website: theIACP.org/projects/law-enforcement-based-victim-services-lev. Through the standardization of professional victim services practices, crime victims’ needs can remain at the forefront of response efforts. d

Note:

¹ DOJ, OJP, BJS, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS), 2013 (Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, 2015).