Victim Advocate

Victim Assistance Program

The Greenfield Police Department has partnered with Alternatives Inc. (www.alternativesdv.org) to provide all our victim advocacy needs. This includes domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault and stalking cases.

Alternatives Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) organization providing a wide range of services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Services include a residential facility to shelter survivors and their dependent children. The agency offers a comprehensive shelter program that goes beyond a "roof over the head" and seeks to assist families in moving from system dependency to self-sufficiency.

As a result of this partnership, an Outreach Advocate is housed full-time within the department. Advocacy services included: 24-hour crisis response for both domestic violence and sexual assault cases; on-site advocacy at hospitals and healthcare facilities. Our non-residential supportive services include: court accompaniment, guidance filing protective orders and violent crime compensation fund applications. We can also provide referrals for other criminal justice and social service agencies.

Another large piece of the advocates' responsibility is community and professional education. Education and training services include: general awareness presentations, teen dating violence and sexual abuse prevention, workplace violence, healthcare, clergy and certified law enforcement training in both sexual assault and domestic violence topics.

The overall goal of the Victim Advocate is to assist victims of crime in navigating the confusing and sometimes overwhelming criminal justice system.

If you are the victim of a crime and have questions or concerns you can call 317-462-8777 or 317-477-4410. A toll free crisis line is available 24 hours a day by calling 866-593-9999 or you can visit their website at www.alternativesdv.org.

If you are interested in scheduling an awareness presentation or professional training, contact Kelly Buzan at [email protected].