LAKE COUNTY — Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) was recently awarded grant funding in the amount of $20,913 to continue the operations of the LCSO”s Special Victims Investigator positions. The funding was awarded on Sept. 10 by the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs and Bureau of Justice Assistance.
According to Capt. Jim Bauman, LCSO currently has two full time investigators that investigate crimes against child victims, elderly victims and disabled victims. The funding awarded by the Department of Justice will support one of these positions and will also provide funding for equipment and training necessary to investigate crimes that fall under their scope of responsibility.
The Special Victims investigators review all initial reports of suspected child abuse, elder abuse and abuse of disabled persons, Bauman said. “They open investigations into the facts and circumstances surrounding such incidents and take appropriate law enforcement action,” he said.
According to Bauman, Special Victims investigators work closely with other community resources such as Lake County Victim Witness, Sutter Lakeside Community Services, Lake Family Resource Center, the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force and surrounding law enforcement agencies.
“These detectives, and all of our members, are true professionals who focus their time and energy on the relentless pursuit of criminals in our society who would prey upon our most vulnerable victims,” Sheriff Rodney Mitchell said. “Children, elderly people and disabled persons are often targeted for victimization because they appear to be an easy opportunity for criminals who seek to steal from, or abuse them for their own criminal gain. The members of this department are committed to bringing such criminals to justice and preventing the exploitation of special victims whenever possible. We are grateful for the grant funding allocation and will ensure that the resources will be committed responsibly and efficiently.”
