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
As the technical assistance provider, IACP personnel are dedicated to the provision of regular and targeted training and technical assistance to aid LEV sites in the application of consistent considerations when establishing or enhancing victim services.
OVC funded sixteen LEV sites in FY18, thirty-five LEV sites in FY19, and twenty-two LEV sites in FY20.
Click HERE to view the current list of LEV sites.
Webinars & Resources
The primary mode of training for the LEV sites will be through virtual learning. For each topic covered, there will be content intended for sworn staff and content intended for program personnel. This model was chosen to promote a thorough understanding of the intricacies of victim services at all levels of a criminal justice agency.
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:
- Victims' Rights - Presented by National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI)
- Key Considerations
- Advocacy Parameters
- Documentation Standards
- Role Clarification and Professional Wellness
- Ethics in Victim Services
- Building Effective Partnerships
- Agency Incorporation of Victim Services
- Effective Supervision
- Crisis Response Planning
A complete list of all previously held webinars can be found on the Webinar Archive page.
Publications:
- Key Considerations
- Key Considerations Checklist
- Victims' Rights Jurisdiction Profiles - National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) developed these profiles for the states represented in FY18 LEV. Profiles for states represented by FY19 LEV sites will be disseminated in late 2020.
- Advocacy Parameters and Documentation
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, personnel standards and responsibilities
- Template Package II: Protocols & Documentation - includes sample protocols on language access, mandated reporting, victim interviews, as well as crime type-specific protocols 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
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.
Visit the IACP's website to find other resources related to developing and enhancing victim services within criminal justice agencies.
Victim Services Mapping Project
The IACP has partnered with the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) to administer a survey of law enforcement-based victim services programs. This survey aims to gather basic information on how law enforcement-based victim services are structured in agencies, including funding and staffing, services provided to victims, and training utilized by these programs. The first wave of this survey was released June 2020, and we would like to thank all respondents for their time in completing the survey!
If your law enforcement agency was not contacted for the first wave of the Victim Services Mapping Project – or if you are unsure if your agency was included – please use this link to provide information for your law enforcement agency and the identified contact person knowledgeable of victim services (i.e., Victim Services Supervisor or Victim Services Specialist).
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
Police Response to Violence Against Women - VAW
Trauma Informed Sexual Assault Investigation Training
Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias: A Law Enforcement Leader’s Role and Response
National Law Enforcement Leadership Initiative on Violence Against Women
Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Victims (ELERV)
Law Enforcement-Based Victim Services (LEV)
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 IACP Project Manager Emily Burton-Blank at burtonblank@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.
