Police - Victim Assistance - Volunteer

Glendale Victim Assistance Services is constantly seeking volunteers to assist in various services to crime victims.

What Do Victim Assistance Volunteers Do?

Volunteers with Glendale Victim Assistance serve in four primary ways.

• Glendale Police Department Victim Assistance partners with the Glendale Fire Department in a unique “Public Safety Crisis Response Program.”  Volunteers who participate in this program commit to work shifts generally 12 hours in length (8 AM to 8 PM or 8 PM to 8 AM) during which teams of 2 or 3 crisis responders may be dispatched to family emergencies such as deaths, traffic accidents, fires, distraught citizens, as well as to criminal incidents such as Domestic Violence calls.  The role of the Public Safety Crisis Response unit is to support victims of trauma and their families. 
  
  
• Police volunteers support weekend Initial Appearances at Glendale City Court (generally occurring at 8AM), contacting victims in cases in which an arrest has been made (mostly Domestic Violence incidents) and providing information about the victim’s concerns to the Initial Appearance judge.  After the Initial Appearance hearing is completed, the volunteer recontacts the victim to inform him or her of the defendant’s Conditions of Release.  These contacts often result in more comprehensive discussion of the victim’s concerns.
  
  
• In an activity that is more predictable and more scheduled, Victim Assistance volunteers perform a computer-based letter generation process which informs victims of their Victims’ Rights and provides victims with information about the Criminal Justice System and its processes.  Volunteers are able to schedule this form of volunteer work. 

Application process

Victim Assistance volunteers are also Glendale Police Department volunteers.  As a result, the application process is very demanding. 

• The first step is an interview with one of the Victim Assistance Staff to inform the prospective victim and to ascertain “fit” between the prospective volunteer and victim services work.
  
  
• A Background Investigation will be performed by the Department, requiring completion of an extensive personal history. 
  
  
• The volunteer candidate will complete a polygraph.

Volunteer Training

The Victim Assistance Caseworker staff conducts a month-long training which covers topics including:

• Victimology
• Crisis Theory and Crisis Intervention
• Overview of the Criminal Justice System
• Ethics and Cultural Competency
• Mental Health Issues
• Children and Trauma
• Legal Issues and Victims
• Suicide
• Vulnerable Adult Abuse
• Sexual Assault
• Domestic Violence
• Death, Grief, and Bereavement
• Death Notification
• Stress Management
• Child Welfare
• Substance Abuse

These classes are usually conducted on a weeknight, from 6:30 PM until 9 PM. 

Interested?

If you are interested in volunteering with Victim Assistance, contact Angie Kaoni by e-mail or call (623) 930-3723