Doylestown Area Victim Services Unit Awarded Federal Grant

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Central Bucks Regional Police Department has been awarded a three-year $425,560 grant from the Office for Victims of Crime, Department of Justice, to fund its multi-jurisdictional Victim Services Unit.

The unit is staffed by victim specialists and is solely dedicated to assisting victims of crime in Doylestown, Chalfont, and New Britain boroughs and in Buckingham Township.

The grant will maintain the existing law enforcement-based Victim Services Unit at the Central Bucks Regional Police Department and implement additional strategies that will improve and broaden the delivery of services to better assist crime victims at the point of police contact and throughout the criminal justice process.

“We are grateful to receive funding to broaden and sustain our provision of services for crime victims dealing with the consequences of trauma. This grant guarantees that victims will continue to receive immediate assistance, counseling and trauma-informed care with empathy and knowledgeable support,” said Central Bucks Regional Police Chief Karl Knott.

According to Chief Knott, the project will ensure more offenders are held accountable and enhance community safety by deterring future criminal behavior.

The VSU identifies and delivers victim-centered services with a focus on domestic violence incidents, sex offenses, assault offenses, strangulation, stalking and harassment incidents.