Victims often experience many unfamiliar emotions such as: shock, disbelief, anger, fear, frustration, or guilt. Victims may be immobilized by the feeling that their lives will never be the same. Although these feelings are very normal, victims who are in a state of emotional crisis often are unable to work through these feelings on their own. They may not have the resources to seek professional assistance or may not know where to seek such support. Victims and/or their families may suffer financially, physically and/or emotionally. The Victim Service staff is prepared to assist victims, witnesses and families with these issues.

Goals of Victim Services

• Provide short and long term crisis intervention
• Act as an information and referral source
• Reduce the trauma to victims, witnesses and survivors
• Eliminate additional trauma
• Coordinate resources through a single agency
• Increase positive interaction between victims/witnesses, survivors and law enforcement
• Provide a smoother transition into the criminal justice system in cases where an arrest
• Guarantee services in those cases where an arrest has not been made

Services Available at No Cost

• 24 hour emergency crisis intervention
• Information and referrals for appropriate social service agencies
• Court accompaniment
• Follow up contacts, calls, letters and/or home visits
• Assistance with filing for emergency financial assistance
• Landlord/Employer intervention

The Victim Service Section of the Delaware State Police is available 24 hours a day through the toll free hotline, 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461). There are offices located in each of the three counties throughout the state. The Victim Service Specialists are available to respond to crime scenes, hospitals, residences, etc at any time, day or night, when requested to do so by an officer. They are also available to respond to calls on the 800 line from victims or other agency personnel. Not only is this unit available to the Delaware State Police, the services are also extended to over 30 other municipal departments throughout Delaware that do not have an “in house” victim service unit.

Members of this unit are involved in various initiatives throughout the state such as the annual victim’s tribute, several task force committees, domestic violence advocacy center and others. We offer training in the police academy to new recruits as well as in-service. Training is also available for other outside agencies as well. We are involved in the annual domestic violence conference for law enforcement in Delaware. Members of our unit have been certified as Critical Incident Stress debriefers and have been certified as Domestic Violence Specialists.

Our unit has received recognition as an outstanding victim service agency both nationally, by the National Organization of Victim Assistance (N.O.V.A.) and locally by the Delaware Victims Rights Task force. Recently, members of this unit joined other agency representatives from Delaware and traveled to New York and New Jersey to assist in the aftermath of the World Trade Center Disaster.

This unit compiles and disseminates the Statewide Domestic Incident Statistical report each month. This report is an account of the domestic incidents that were responded to by ALL law enforcement agencies throughout the state. This report includes such information as the number of incidents responded to, how many arrests were made, how many incidents had prior police contact, how many times were children present and/or involved etc.

Delaware State Police Victim Centers

Delaware Victim Services

Police Based Victim Services in Delaware