LAPD NEWS
The Los Alamos Police Department has received funding from the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators (NAVAA) through a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), within the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, to promote community awareness of crime victims’ rights and services during the 2021 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
The awarded funding will be used to coordinate the LAVA (Los Alamos Victim Assistant) Community Support Walk and Virtual Resource Fair, as part of a Community Awareness Project in Los Alamos. The LAVA Community Walk and Virtual Fair is part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, an annual observance that takes place April 18-24. The LAVA Community Support Walk will take place around Ashley Pond on April 24 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.. In order to follow social-distancing requirements, masks are required, and walkers will follow directional signage. The resource fair will include virtual: articles, videos, and resources (websites and contact information) will be posted on the National Crime Victims Rights Week tab of the Los Alamos Police Department website.
“The support from NAVAA and OVC for our 2021 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities will help the Los Alamos Police Department continue to assist survivors,” said Dino Sgambellone, Los Alamos Police Department Chief. “Members of our community are encouraged to help promote justice through service to crime victims by joining our 2021 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities and supporting victim assistance programs on a daily basis.”
First designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week increases public awareness of, and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime. The theme for 2021 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is “Support Victims. Build Trust. Engaged Community”
Since 2004, the NCVRW Community Awareness Project has provided financial and technical assistance to more than 1000 community projects that promote victim and public awareness activities, and innovative approaches to victim outreach and public education about victims’ rights and services during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The LAVA Community Support Walk and Virtual Resource Fair was one of the 106 recommended by NAVAA and selected for funding by OVC for 2021 from the 242 applications that were submitted nationwide.
For additional information about 2021 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities or about victims’ rights and services please contact the Victim Assistant at (505) 663-3511, or visit our website at https://losalamosnm.hosted.civiclive.com/cms/One.aspx?portalId=6435810&pageId=17530342 for information about national efforts to promote 2021 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, please visit the Office for Victims of Crime website at http://www.ovc.gov.
The National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators is a non-profit organization that represents the 56 state agencies that distribute money from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund to more than 4,000 direct victim assistance service providers. The money in the Crime Victims Fund comes from fines collected from offenders convicted of federal crimes and not from U.S. taxpayers.