community organization

WA-W requested a follow-up TTA to help implement the recommendations from the Victim Services Assessment that was conducted in early 2021. The first TTa support that was agreed to support was to connect with Kyndra Simmons, who has implemented numerous intervention and prevention programs with Youth Alive. NCVC and WA-W put together several objectives for this TTA support.

This brief focuses on the Victim Specialists Program within the Pennington County South Dakota Sheriff’s Office (PCSO). Specifically, it highlights the Victim Specialists Program’s work with Native American victims and its incorporation of culturally competent practices. We provide an overview of the PCSO’s Victim Specialists Program and highlight promising practices and lessons learned for PSN teams to consider when developing or modifying similar strategies within their districts.

As part of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Project, Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) program, CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Analysis (CNA) and NCVC provided a victim services assessment for the Washington West PSN District. The US Attorney’s Office (USAO) requested the victim services assessment for the Western District of Washington in conjunction with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO).