Improving Police Based Victim Services

The recommendations from the “What Do Victims Want?” summit report, particularly the Law Enforcement Action Agenda, served as a basis for the follow up project - Improving Police Based Victim Services (IPBVS), for which IACP received funding from OVC in July 2000 – June 2005.

The project focused on the following activity areas:

• A national survey of the IACP membership to determine the status of police-based victim services
• Four regional symposia on police based victim services held throughout the United States
• Materials and products designed to assist law enforcement agencies improve their response to victims, such as customizable brochure and web page, Critical Response newsletter, Victim Services and Law Enforcement: Next Steps publication, Backing the Badge: Working Effectively with Law Enforcement brochure for victim service providers, etc.
• Technical assistance

Over 1,000 police departments were served through IPBVS outreach efforts, and broad-based training and technical assistance were provided on such topics as funding and resources for the creation or enhancement of police-based victim service programs, collaboration with community-based victim service programs, helping agencies establish victim service units, creating training programs for officers, policy development, utilizing volunteers, etc.

For more information, please contact Suzanne E. Jordan at jordans@theiacp.org or 800-843-4227 ext. 803