Victim Response Team celebrates 10 years

Law offers tax relief to senior citizen property owners

PRESS RELEASE
December 20, 2014

IMPORTANT: Please direct any media requests to the contact below. Do not contact the Garfield County Emergency Communications Center or Patrol staff for media requests.
GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. – The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office Victim Response Team celebrated ten years of service to the citizens of Garfield County. The team was started in 2004 by Sheriff Lou Vallario to provide critical service to crime victims. While Colorado law enforcement is mandated by law to provide victim services, this team goes above and beyond what is required by providing service 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days per year. Response services include crime scene crisis counseling, criminal justice system advocacy, safety planning, transportation, referrals to other agencies, and information about your rights as a Colorado crime victim.

The dedicated team is staffed by Director Dr. Adam L. Ford, full-time Victim Specialist Vicki Jones, part-time Victim Specialist Janet Locklear, and Volunteer Victim Specialists Mindy Campbell, Laree Magnuson, Lee Allen, Holly Glaiser, Kim Hammon, Len Allen, and Juli Bailey.

The Sheriff’s Office wouldn’t be able to provide this service without dedicated volunteers. The majority of on-call hours are covered by the Volunteer Victim Specialists. On average, each volunteer spends 624 hours on-call with an additional 80 hours of ongoing training each year. To date, the specialists have spent 2,615 hours working one-on-one with victims
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The Victim Response Team’s average response time to an officer’s call is eight minutes, with an average on-scene response time of 48 minutes. These are exceptional response times, considering that the team covers almost 3,000 square miles, serves six municipal police departments, one Sheriff’s Office, and the Colorado Department of Corrections Rifle Correctional Center, which generates approximately 2,000 victim contacts a year.

The following Volunteer Victim Specialists received service awards:
Mindy Campbell – 8 years
Laree Magnuson – 7 years
Holly Glaiser – 5 years
Kim Hammon – 5 years
Lee Allen – 2 years
Len Allen – 2 years
Juli Bailey – 1 year

The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and law enforcement community sincerely appreciate all their dedication and service. Great job!

Should you or someone you know want to join this team, please contact the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office for more information.