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CONSIDERATION OF FEDERAL VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT (VOCA) GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $70,000.00 FUNDED THROUGH THE GOVERNOR'S GRANTS PROGRAM.
Presented by: Lt. Keith Allen, Sheriff's Office.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve the application for the grant, and if awarded authorize acceptance of the grant, authorize the chairman (or his designee) to sign grant documents, authorize the establishment of budget authority as provided in the Financial Considerations section of this Request, and authorize implementation of the Staffing Table changes identified in the Personnel Considerations section of this Request.
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The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office provides public safety services to the citizens of Sedgwick County. The Sheriff's Office provides these services to citizens living in both urban and rural areas of Sedgwick County. The Sheriff's Office works closely with its community partners and is a member of the Wichita/Sedgwick County Coordinated Community Response Team (CCR). Through this close working relationship with other community advocacy organizations and through internal assessment, the Sheriff's Office has identified a gap in immediate advocacy services for victims of crime in Sedgwick County, specifically for those victims and survivors who live in the more rural areas of Sedgwick County. The Sheriff's Office identified this gap in services and acknowledged the need for a Victim Advocate position in the 2017-2020 Strategic Plan, which seeks to identify funding for the implementation of a Victim Advocate position in the agency.
Currently the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office works with other advocacy services to provide after-crisis services but lacks advocacy at the most critical time during crisis. Deputies and detectives, often with very limited trauma-informed training or experience advocating for victims, try to refer services and meet the needs of victims, but often fail to fully understand, identify or fulfill the victims' needs. Introducing vic...
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