Law Enforcement-Based Victim Services (LEV)
The IACP is proud to serve as the training and technical assistance provider for the Law Enforcement-Based Victim Services and Technical Assistance Program (LEV Program). Sponsored by the Office for Victims of Crime, this project seeks to establish or enhance victim services programs in criminal justice agencies in order to couple law enforcement-based services with community-based program partnerships to serve the broader needs and rights of all crime victims.
LEV Sites
The IACP is proud to serve as the training and technical assistance provider for the Law Enforcement-Based Victim Services and Technical Assistance Program (LEV Program), which seeks to establish or enhance law enforcement-based victim services programs.
The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) funded sixteen LEV sites in FY18, thirty-four LEV sites in FY19, and twenty-two LEV sites in FY20.
Click HERE to view the current list of LEV sites.
Webinars & Publications
The primary mode of training for the LEV sites will be through virtual learning. These webinars are intended for victim services personnel, victim services supervisors, and sworn leadership.
In addition to webinars, publications will be released to supplement learning topics. When the webinars and publications are ready to be made available, they will be posted publicly on this webpage.
Some of the upcoming educational topics include: victims' rights, program development, documentation, developing partnerships, and program sustainability.
Webinars
All LEV webinar recordings are available free of charge and can be accessed here on IACPlearn. An IACP account is required to register and view the recordings. For assistance creating an IACP account and accessing the webinars, please see our IACPlearn — Getting Started Guide.
Core LEV topics in the webinar series includes:
- Key Considerations
- Victims’ Rights – Part 1
- Advocacy Parameters
- Documentation Standards
- Role Clarification & Professional Wellness
- Building Effective Partnerships
- Agency Incorporation of Victim Services
- Effective Supervision of Victim Services Personnel
- Strategic Planning
- Victims’ Rights – Part 2
Supplemental topics in the webinar series include:
- Ethics in Victim Services
- Crisis Response Planning
- The U & T Visa: A Tool to Support Victims, Communities, and Increase Participation in the Criminal Justice System
- Improving Victim Services Provision: Challenges and Considerations for Seeking Victim Feedback
- Victim Services & Public Information Officer (PIO) Collaboration
Publications
Topic-Specific Resources:
- Key Considerations
- Key Considerations Checklist
- Victims' Rights Jurisdiction Profiles - National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) developed these profiles for the states represented in FY18, FY19, and FY20 LEV.
- Advocacy Parameters and Documentation
- Effective Partnerships
- Using Technology to Communicate with Victims
Template Package Series:
This series provides practical templates on a wide range of topics related to victim services. These templates are meant to be adapted for your jurisdiction to serve as a strong foundation for your victim services program.
- Template Package I: Getting Started - includes job descriptions, interview questions, code of ethics, and foundational policies and protocols.
- Template Package II: Next Steps - includes case response protocol templates, scenarios, and documentation samples.
- Template Package III: Student Interns & Volunteers - includes templates focused on recruiting, screening and selection, training, supervision, and other agency considerations for student interns and volunteers.
- Template Package IV: Pamphlets - includes sample crime-specific and topic-specific informational pamphlets for agencies to customize and disseminate to victims of crime.
How can I receive Training & Technical Assistance?
For future funding and training and technical assistance (TTA) similar to the LEV Program, please visit the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice's Website. Additionally, visit OVC's Training and Technical Assistance Center to access no-cost TTA.
For more information on the LEV program, please contact LEVProject@theiacp.org.
LEV Research
The IACP has partnered with the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) to bring three different aspects of research to the Law Enforcement-Based Victim Services Program. The research activities initiated by JRSA vary in order to maximize the breadth of knowledge and the impact on the field of law enforcement-based victim services.
The three research initiatives include:
- LEV Mapping Survey
- Mini Research Grants
- Case Studies
To learn more about each initiative please visit the JRSA Law Enforcement-Based Victim Services Program webpage.
Partners
The IACP is honored to work alongside the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI), Unified Solutions Tribal Community Development Group, Inc. (Unified Solutions), and the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) to deliver training and technical assistance to the LEV sites. NCVLI will deliver webinar trainings on victims' rights and will provide state-specific resources to each site. Meanwhile, Unified Solutions will act as the specialized training and technical assistance provider to all LEV sites serving tribal jurisdictions. Finally, JRSA will assist in developing and implementing the Victim Services Mapping Project, a research initiative which intends to provide a national scope of law enforcement-based victim services.
Related Projects
Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Victims (ELERV)
Police Response to Violence Against Women - VAW
Trauma Informed Sexual Assault Investigations
Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias: A Law Enforcement Leader’s Role and Response
Law Enforcement’s Role in Victim Compensation
Training Program on Enhancing Rural Law Enforcement Response to Violence Against Women
Sexual Assault Kit Initiative
Vicarious Trauma Response Initiative
Anti-Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance
Law Enforcement Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence and COVID-19
On April 23, 2020, the IACP hosted a Virtual Roundtable on COVID-19 and Law Enforcement Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence. Below is...
Contact
For more information on the LEV program, please contact LEVProject@theiacp.org.
This webpage was produced by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) under 2018-V3-GX-K049, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this webpage are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice.
