NSA Establishes Standing Committee on Crime Victim Services

By Timothy O. Woods, J.D., M.A., LL.M., NSA Director of Research & Development

John W. Gillis, Director, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), U.S. Department of Justice

In an effort to focus more national attention on law enforcement services provided to victims of crime, the National Sheriffs' Association recently established the Crime Victim Services Committee. This new standing committee convened its first meeting during NSA's Mid-Winter Conference this past February in Washington, D.C. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), the committee is chaired by Sheriff John Whetsel, Oklahoma County, Okla., and co-chaired by Sheriff Stephen Simpson, Loudoun County, Va.

John Gillis, OVC Director, and Meg Morrow, OVC Attorney Advisor, joined other attendees in mapping out goals and setting objectives for the committee's anticipated 24 months of grant funding. In addition, they provided an overview of OVC's programmatic and funding initiatives and commended NSA on its formation of the committee.

As acknowledged in its mission statement, the committee recognizes that victims of crime have unique needs and that appropriate services for victims should be provided by law enforcement as early as possible in the response process. Accordingly, the committee shall identify resources, training and cooperative efforts to better assist victims.

Crime Victim Services Committee Chairman, Sheriff John Whetsel, at left, with Timothy O. Woods, NSA staff liaison to the committee.

The committee will provide a forum for sheriffs, deputies, other law enforcement personnel, victim-service providers and OVC representatives to meet semi-annually at NSA's conferences and exchange timely information on issues related to criminal victimization and law enforcement's response to victims of crime. Committee meetings will include presentations by experts in the victim-services field; previews of the newest roll-call videos on assisting crime victims; dissemination of brochures, fact sheets, handbooks and other materials highlighting model programs, training opportunities and innovative approaches to serving victims of crime; and informational updates on emerging issues in criminal victimization, such as trafficking in persons.

Crime Victim Services Committee Co-Chairman Sheriff Stephen Simpson

At its next meeting, during NSA's annual conference in Seattle, Wash., the committee will propose to the NSA Awards and Scholarships Committee that an annual Crime Victim Services Award be established, with the inaugural award presentation targeted for the 2005 annual conference in Louisville, Ky. The award would be conferred each year on a sheriff's office that has distinguished itself through its endeavors to meet the needs of victims of crime.

Sheriff Whetsel welcomes ideas and input from NSA members and partner groups on future initiatives by the Standing Committee on Crime Victim Services and invites you to attend and participate in the Seattle meeting. For more details about that meeting, as well as membership on the Standing Committee, contact committee liaison Tim Woods at (703) 838-5317.

Photos by Mike Terault.
This article is provided courtesy of National Sheriffs' Association. It first appeared in SHERIFF magazine, vol. 56, no.3, May-June 2004.

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