CPD’s Victim Services Unit provides support for survivors of crime

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — People who are survivors of violent crime in the City of Chattanooga can get support from the Chattanooga Police Department’s Victim Services Unit.

In 2015, former Police Chief Fred Fletcher applied for a grant to start the department’s very first Victim Services Unit. In 2016, advocates came on board.

“So if somebody needs support services, maybe a counseling referral would like someone to go to go to court with them and maybe they would like assistance applying for the victim’s compensation fund through the state of Tennessee. Myself and the two other advocates in our unit are available to provide that support from the very first initial call all the way to a final disposition is reached in court,” said Caroline Huffaker, the coordinator with the Victim Services Unit.

They also offer support when the person who committed the crime gets out of jail.

“Is Chattanooga safe for you? Do you need to relocate? What does safety look like for you and your family? We spend a lot time with victims around the release date of an offender as well as around different important dates in their case,” Huffaker said.

The Victim Services Unit recently received a $600,000 grant over three years. With that they’ll be able to hire an additional staff member.

“We are really excited about that opportunity because we have plans to hire a fully bilingual staff person that is bilingual in Spanish and English, because we do not want language to be a barrier for a victim of crime to access services,” Huffaker said.

Community members can also get involved in supporting victims of crime. One way is by donating to the Victim Witness Support Fund.

“We know that a lot of times there are expenses related to victimization that make it difficult to get to a safe place and so that fund, which is funded in part by the generosity of our community, is something that we rely heavily on,” Huffaker said.

In the time the program has been around, they’ve received awards for their service and also thanks from the people they’ve served.

“We experience it as a tremendous honor to be able to sit with people in some of their hardest moments,” Huffaker said.

For more information about the program, click here.