The Fort Bend County Crime Victims Response Team held a reception recently in honor of National Crime Victim’s Rights Week at the Grand Hall of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office.
The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office welcomed the attendees and introduced two guest speakers, survivors who were once victimized by violent crime. Both survivors spoke to attendees about their realities as a victim and experiences in “transitioning from victim to survivor.”
Fort Bend County District Attorney John Healey indicated that the physical and emotional scars of domestic violence and sexual abuse can last for years.
“These survivors’ life stories encourage all of us to be vigorous in the work we do to identify the criminals who commit domestic violence and to hold them accountable,” said Healey. “The people I know who handle these cases can’t wait to get to work so they can help the survivors and try to punish and/or change the behavior of the abuser.”
The Fort Bend County Crime Victims Response Team provides a forum for local law enforcement agencies and supporting victim liaisons to collaborate and address community concerns involving crime victims.
The training and guidance offered, at no cost to attendees, is designed to better equip members to respond to all types of traumatic situations, including sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, and many other crimes committed against people. The CVRT plans and implements an array of workshops ranging in focus from training the first responders to a crime scene and legal and judicial explanations to providing emotional support and resources in the aftermath of a crime.
Promoting communication between agencies and organizations so ideas can be exchanged and resolutions put into action, the CVRT facilitates open dialogue in a relaxed environment. This approach allows the Team to place the victim first in the initial response to the crime, handling and disposition of the criminal case, and the transition from Victim to Survivor.
For more information on CVRT, or how to become involved, contact Denise Gruwell with the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office at 281-341-4686 or Elizabeth Lieb with the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office at 281-344-3901.
