$270K Grant Won For Victim Assistance Program: Rockland DA

The Special Victims Unit of the Rockland County District Attorney's Office has been given a $270,000 federal grant to fund a full-time victim specialist over three years.

The DA's office intends to develop a program focused on assisting victims, including providing victims with a person who can help them navigate the justice system and its processes.

The program will be centralized in the Special Victim’s Unit, which prosecutes crimes involving domestic violence, sexual assault, physical and sexual abuse of child, as well as crimes committed against other vulnerable members of the population.

"With this grant, our team will be able to provide additional services to those who are victims of horrible crimes. We will never allow those most vulnerable to fall through the cracks," said Executive Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Devlin, head of the Special Victims Unit.

DA Thomas Walsh said just 25 grants were given out nationwide, and just eight were given to small agencies with less than 100 full-time sworn officers.

"Rockland residents who are victims of sex abuse or domestic violence will be benefactors of this grant," Walsh said. "As we all know, we can never do enough for crime victims.”