The Police-Based Victim Services Focus Group

On February 10-11, 2003, the International Association of Chiefs of Police held a focus group on the status of victim services and law enforcement that was attended by law enforcement leaders, line officers, detectives, victim advocates, and victims themselves. The concurrent goals of the focus group meeting, which consisted of general and breakout group sessions, were to: (1) identify critical and emerging issues, barriers and challenges facing law enforcement regarding victim services; and (2) recommend strategies to resolve these issues, overcome barriers and meet the identified challenges.

The focus group evolved from the IACP’s 1999 Summit on Victims of Crime, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, which brought together law enforcement leaders, representatives from the criminal justice system, victim advocates and victims to develop an action agenda in order to improve police response to victims. The participants of the summit identified seven critical needs of crime victims. These seven needs create, in turn, a set of criteria for effective victim services:

Access – Helping victim feel comfortable contacting the investigating officer to obtain or offer new information in their case helps ensure the victim will not feel left out of the system

Continuity – Coordination with local victim service providers and the prosecutor’s offices helps to ensure continuous service to the victim after the initial report is taken

Information – Availability of information in languages predominant in the community and in large print for the elderly should include resource sheets or brochures and relevant police and victim service contact numbers

Justice – Cooperation, communication and support through the entire criminal justice process will help ensure the satisfaction of all parties involved in a case: victims, police officers, prosecutors, victim service providers, etc.

Safety – Understanding the crisis reaction of victims and protecting the victim from future intimidation and harm helps enhance the victim’s sense of security

Support – Helping the victim feel comfortable to discuss the crime and letting the victim know that the police are concerned about their needs will create an atmosphere of support that may encourage improved cooperation with criminal justice agencies

Voice – Allowing victims to express their needs and concerns ensures their feedback is addressed when agencies determine how to respond to future victims

Using these criteria as a starting point, focus group participants discussed not only the general obstacles agencies face in developing effective victim services, but also the specific needs of different levels of law enforcement leadership, including chiefs and sheriffs, middle managers, first-line supervisors, line officers and detectives, field training officers (FTOs) and recruit officers, and training and certification agencies. This report will clarify those needs and strategies identified by focus group members to improve victim services in law enforcement agencies and provide a directional tool for law enforcement to use in advancing its approach to victim services.

Generally, focus group members concluded that the biggest impediments to enhancing the effectiveness of victim assistance programs in law enforcement agencies are 1) negative institutional forces and 2) lack of training for all levels of law enforcement. Attendees recommended that law enforcement receive specific training on communication and sensitivity issues to address these hurdles. With respect to the roles of different levels of leadership, participants stressed that superiors must clarify their expectations of subordinates, and officers must be held accountable for providing quality services to victims. Additionally, attendees suggested ways law enforcement can have a positive influence on prosecutors to improve victim services and can engage the public in ways that will raise awareness about the need for effective victim services. Focus group participants also noted that departments do not need a victim services unit to provide effective victim services; assistance to victims can be offered in ways that are appropriate to individual agencies.

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http://www.theiacp.org/documents/pdfs/Publications/PoliceBasedVictimFocusGrp.pdf