APD Annual Reports - 2018 Annual Report | Page 57

Victim Services The Victim Services Unit provides services to victims and family members with the goal of lessening the short and long-term trauma experienced as the result of victimization. The unit provides crisis counseling, intervention, information and referral, notification of rights, victim’s compensation application claims, and assistance with the judicial system. In 2018, the unit served 11,293 victims and provided 6,037 outreach hours to victim’s cases. In addition, 7,041 victims of family violence were served with 4,859 hours dedicated to those cases. The current unit consists of a Victim Services supervisor, coordinator, nine counselors at the Master’s Degree level, and a Youth and Family Specialist. In addition to degrees in psychology, criminal justice and social work, several of the counselors hold licenses in social work and counseling. The unit also has educational agreements with several universities to provide field placement opportunities for interns seeking social service- based degrees. Team members review reports of violent crime with services available to victims, witnesses, and family members. Outreach efforts include telephone contact and in-person visits at police headquarters. Unit personnel also conduct assessments and referrals to community agencies. Responses are available 24 hours a day at the request of any field officer. The Repeat Domestic Violence Home Visit Program (Project RAISE) embeds counselors with patrol officers who visit the top five locations that generate domestic disturbance calls in each patrol district. Home visits occur monthly with services available through a multi- disciplinary team including One Safe Place, Safe Haven, Women’s Center, Arlington Housing Authority, Child Protective Service, MHMR, and other agencies.  Arlington, Texas Police Department | 57