By Ted Cohen Maine Wire
Amy McCrea has seen crime from both sides, both as a patrol officer previously and now as a victim-witness advocate.
Bangor Police honored McCrea with a service award Wednesday for her 10 years of work helping crime victims.
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“It’s a sad fact that crime happens all too often. For many people, being the victim of a crime can mean having to navigate the unfamiliar world of the criminal justice system,” Bangor Police officials said in announcing the award. “While television shows may give people the sense of how the system works, often reality doesn’t line up. That’s where victim-witness advocates come into play.”
The plaque given McCrea from the Maine Association of Victim Witness Advocates recognizes her “committed excellence and dedication in victim services.”
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McCrea started her career in 1980 with the Old Town Police Department before joining the Bangor Police in 1984 as a patrol officer.
In 1991, she took a job with the U.S. Marshal’s Service stationed in Bangor, retiring in 2013.
McCrea then started working part-time for the Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office as a victim-witness advocate.
She worked as a liaison to Bangor Police, eventually working into a permanent advocate’s position with Bangor.
“It worked out marvelously,” she said. “I love everyone here - it felt like coming home.”
Besides working with crime victims McCrea also supports officers who may have been assaulted or had property damaged.
If someone is the victim of, or witness to, a crime, McCrea bridges the gap between them and the system - helping to find funding for medical bills, returning stolen property or receiving compensation if property is damaged or destroyed.
“I see what I can do to make victims whole again, recouping their loss,” she said. “I tell them where and when court hearings are taking place and will attend with them if they request it.”
McCrea also acts as a bridge between the detectives and victims for information on the progress of a case, releasing information as directed by the detectives.
“I am the intermediary in case a victim wants to know what is taking place,” she explained. “I take calls and explain what I can about an investigation and talk to the detectives about what I can share with the victim.”
