The Lake County District Attorney’s Office Victim-Witness Division Program Administrator Tatsuhiro Suzuki was this week’s guest at the Judge’s Breakfast in Clearlake on Thursday. Suzuki discussed the departments responsibilities as well as their many programs and processes.
Suzuki has been working with the division since 2007, recently stepping into the program administer position. He began by explaining the unit’s mission of supporting and assisting victims, acting as their liaison and upholding their rights as victims. According to Suzuki the unit is governed by California Penal Code 13835.5 mandating certain services including “crisis intervention, direct counseling, assistance in returning property, notification of court / updates, orientation to criminal justice, resource referral and more.”
Currently their offices are located at 420 Second Street in Lakeport and employ three advocates including himself and two office personnel. Suzuki said, “Our role is to assist victims and do the court work for the prosecutors’ office behind the scenes, behind the curtain essentially.”
Ways in which they provide these services and support include transportation to and from court, assisting in abuse hearings and emergency protective orders, and also in providing forensic interviews. Their office holds a designated interview office space where people can feel comfortable outside of the court room, especially in cases involving children. “The purpose of this interview taking place at our office is so that she only tells the story once, or I should say the child tells the story once. Many times before this was established, people would tell their story out in the field once, then to our office once, then at trial, that’s re-traumatizing.” Suzuki said these interviews are recorded to avoid forcing a victim to relive the crime unnecessarily.
There is also financial help in the form of victim compensation funded through court fines that are already in place. These funds can help cover unexpected costs including counseling, relocations, wage loss, crime scene clean up and other medical treatment for any trauma a victim may have experienced due to the crime. There is an application process and their office assists in these compensations.
Middletown resident and candidate for District 1 Board of Supervisor seat Helen Owen asked how these funds could help those victimized on a retail level, and Suzuki said that although these funds do not cover property damages, they could be used to help a victim, who was personally involved in a retail crime such as burglary that could have caused him or her injury or other trauma.
In order to properly assist victims and witnesses Suzuki works collaboratively with several law enforcement agencies, often reaching out to larger agencies in more urban areas for more complicated cases such as human trafficking. Locally they often refer individuals to the Lake Family Resource Center for long term assistance after victimization.
Suzuki added, “Our sole purpose is to uphold the victim’s rights so that the victim has a voice. We do remind prosecutors about victims’ rights and if there are any issues we that we discuss it with the attorneys and sometimes we butt heads.”
Clearlake resident Erin McCarrick asked, “Are there any resources for you guys? This is heavy stuff.” Suzuki responded noting his staff’s ability to talk issues out, lean on each other, and laugh a lot stating, “In this line of work a key thing to do is laugh a lot. Crack jokes, try to lighten the mood obviously when there’s no one in the office just so we can ease that tension.”
The Judge’s Breakfast is open to the public and held weekly every Thursday morning at 7 a.m. at the Masonic Lodge in Clearlake. Next week’s guest speaker will be Sheri Young, Victim Services Program Director for Lake Family Resource Center. Breakfast purchase is not required to participate.
