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Ms. Brenda Hadaway
It has always been the
policy of the Forsyth County Sheriff' Office for officers to offer
assistance to victims of crime when responding to a call, but often
times officers have other calls to which they must immediately
respond and cannot devote the time that the victim needs. Further,
we know from first hand experience that victimization does not end
with the mere filing of a report to law enforcement.
For the past several years, there has been a victims assistance
available through the District Attorney' Office, but their office
only makes contact with the victim after an arrest has been made.
Although we at the Sheriff' Office make diligent efforts to make
arrests, we are not always able to do so. Sheriff Paxton became
aware that there were some victims of crime in this county that were
not receiving adequate follow-up with their concerns due to time and
manpower restraints, and wanted to offer the victims of crime in
this county more assistance.
For example, in 2001, Victim' Assistance in the D.A.' Office
assisted 1 rape victim -- the Sheriff' Office had 15 rapes reported.
Victim' Assistance in D.A.' Office helped 247 Domestic Violence
victims, the Sheriff' Office responded to over 1,304 domestic
violence calls last year.
For this reason, the Sheriff' Office applied for and received a
grant under the Victims of Crime Act for a victim advocate from the
Sheriff' Office to assist victims effective October l, 2001. The
grant pays for 80% of the cost for this position and the County
matches 20% of the cost.
The victim advocate will act as a first responder to the scene for
immediate assistance to victims of homicides, fatality accidents,
suicide or attempted suicides, sexual assaults, child abuse,
domestic violence, persons shot or stabbed, lost persons/child, or
hostage/barricaded gunman. The victim advocate will be call 24 hours
a day, seven days a week, and will assist victims with immediate
needs such as emergency referrals for food, shelter, clothing,
medical care, etc., as well as contacting victim' family or support
system, or transporting victims to a safe haven when necessary. The
victim advocate will facilitate crime scene clean-up, and accompany
the victim to forensic examinations, line-ups, interviews, and crime
scene for review. As the investigation moves forward, the victim
advocate will offer continued emotional support to the victims,
assist with return of property to the victim, as well as offer
referrals to social service agencies to assist victim with the
ongoing problems resulting from crime. The victim advocate will
provide the victim with information about how the criminal justice
system works and the status of the case, and make sure the victim is
aware of all the rights provided to them under the Georgia Crime
Victim' Bill or Rights.
The position for victim advocate was filled December 17, 2001 by
Brenda Hadaway. Brenda Hadaway has a B.S. degree in Public and Urban
Affairs from Georgia State University and has been with the Sheriff'
Office for the last three years. Prior to that, she spent three
years as a CASA volunteer, where she advocated for children that had
been placed in foster care as a result of abuse or neglect.
The Office for the Victim Advocate is located in Suite 119 of the
Government Building which is adjacent to the Sheriff' Office. Since
establishing a working office for this project in late January of
this year until the present, the Victim Advocate has assisted over
90 victims. Anyone who has been victimized by a crime in Forsyth
County, and needs assistance, will now have someone in place at the
Sheriff' Office to offer him or her assistance.
Ms. Hadaway can be reached in her office at (678) 455-8458 or by
email at bbhadaway@forsythco.com.
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