Domestic Violence & Crime Victim Services
The National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) is committed to assisting local law enforcement in providing the best possible service to victims of domestic violence and other crimes. This page provides an overview of some of the ongoing initiatives at NSA, as well as current information on crime victim issues, events, and resources.
Protection Order Service Checklist
Proper service of protection orders is not only critical to hold respondents and offenders who violate them accountable, but also an important step to enhance the safety of law enforcement officers, domestic violence survivors, and ultimately the entire community. This checklist is intended to provide general guidance to those who serve protection orders. Additional assistance can be requested from the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit (NCPOFFC).
DOWNLOAD PROTECTION ORDER SERVICE CHECKLIST
National Intimate Partner Violence Protocol
In May 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women published a National Protocol for Intimate Partner Violence Medical Forensic Examinations Protocol.
Help for Victims of DUI Crashes
In April 2018, this brochure for law enforcement to give to victims/survivors when responding to a DUI crash was produced by NSA with funding support from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The brochure can be printed (double-sided) and then folded (with the NSA logo on the front and “YOU ARE NOT ALONE” on the back) into a tri-fold, six-sided brochure.
It’s Not An “Accident,” It’s A Crime!
In April 2018, this brochure for law enforcement on responding to victims of DUI crashes was produced by NSA with funding support from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The brochure can be printed (double-sided) and folded (It’s Not An “Accident” on the front and the NSA logo on the back) into a tri-fold, six–sided brochure.
NSA releases roll call video on treating victims of DUI crashes as crime victims, DUI Crashes: Real Crimes, Real Victims. Drunk driving crashes are crimes, not “accidents.” One person is killed in an alcohol impaired driving crash every 53 minutes. This roll call video, supported by a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime, and produced for NSA by Video Action, addresses the need for law enforcement to respond to and interact with DUI crash victims in a victim-centered way, with all the referrals, support, and resources due victims of a violent crime.
The Human Trafficking Task Force e-Guide, the result of a partnership between the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime and Bureau of Justice Assistance, provides practical information on the creation and day-to-day operations of human trafficking task forces. It includes strategies to strengthen multidisciplinary collaboration and thereby increase victim identification, enhance delivery of services to all victims and support victim-centered investigation and prosecution strategies. Written by leading practitioners in law enforcement, prosecution, and victim services, the e-guide is regularly updated with new tools, trainings, resources, and more case examples.
Released in August 2011, NSA's Serving Survivors of Homicide Victims During Cold Case Investigations: A Guide for Developing a Law Enforcement Protocol.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police has developed four companion documents to help law enforcement agencies implement its Office for Victims of Crime funded Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Victims initiative. Volume #1, a 21st Century Strategy, introduces state, local, and tribal law enforcement leaders to the benefits, challenges, methods, and responsibilities for enhancing their response to victims of crime. Volume #2, the Implementation Guide, outlines the steps to implement the Strategy. Volume #3, the Resource Toolkit, provides templates to aid in the implementation of these steps. And Volume #4, the online Training Supplemental presents law enforcement agencies with content that can be customized to provide every agency employee, from recruit to executive, with specific knowledge, skills, abilities, and tools to better respond to crime victims. For more information, visit www.responsetovictims.org.
The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) releases Enhancing Community Policing with Immigrant Populations (April 2010). NSA and the COPS Office partnered to host a national roundtable discussion of law enforcement leaders and immigrant advocates that developed recommendations for enhancing community policing, including police training and police education, to ensure equity in the delivery of law enforcement services to immigrant populations. This report documents that roundtable discussion and recommendations.
The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) releases Victim Services in Rural Law Enforcement (April 2009). This publication explores creative and economical ways for rural law enforcement agenciescomprised of sheriffs, deputies, and police to meet the needs of victims at the crime scene and during follow-up contact. Based on the experiences of 17 sites that received OVC funding to establish or enhance crime victim assistance efforts in their law enforcement agencies, the publication: Reviews the grant project; Highlights site activities; Identifies core elements and challenges of rural law enforcement-based victim service programs; and Offers a blueprint for rural law enforcement agencies interested in initiating their own victim services efforts.
Other Crime Victim Resources
NSA's First Response to Victims of Crime Guidebook and Roll Call Video. Available from the Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center at (800) 851-3420.
