The Victims of Crime Act provides a grant program that is administered by the State of Nevada Office of the Attorney General. Funds from that program are utilized to increase the quality and availability of emergency services to the victims of crime here in Nevada. The funds are available for several authorized purposes, including paying the salary and fringe benefits of a victim advocate position. There is a twenty-five percent matching funds requirement. Our agency was awarded the same grant last year.

In previous years, the Sparks Police Department has utilized a grant from the Victims of Crime Act and Violence Against Women Act to help subsidize the costs for salary and benefits for the first Victim Advocate who works in the Sparks Police Department. At the end of the grant, the position was absorbed into the authorized complement of personnel at the Police Department. The departement determined there was a need to employ a second victim advocate due to the volume of casework and a second victim advocate was hired in January of this year. This grant would allow our new advocate to continue to serve our most vulnerable populations in the city. In the last six months, the Victim Services Unit or VSU, comprised of the two victim advocates, served 367 individuals to provide services and resources to meet their needs.

The Washoe Pilot Program will continue to cover 75% of the cost of employing a second victim advocate currently employed by the police department. The remaining 25% fund match required will be provided by the existing budget.

The idea behind this pilot project is for the Attorney General's office to have all of the victim services in Washoe County working together to eliminate the duplication of services, to provide the best possible services, and to provide follow-up services to reduce the instances of second and third time victimization, an area where the Sparks Police Department faces severe challenges due to the constant influx of new victims and the limitations faced by having only one Victim Advocate.

The City Council could decline the grant and seek funding elsewhere to continue the services the second victim advocate now provides.

I move to approve and accept the State of Nevada Attorney General's Victim of Crime Act grant in the amount of $64,459 to fund the second Victim Advocate position.