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VICTIM AID
MPD unit hopes to improve communication with families
(Published January 26, 2004)

By MELISSA FERRARA
Staff Writer

A new Family Liaison Specialist Unit in the Metropolitan Police Department plans to improve the District’s ability to communicate with homicide victims’ families through a number of new services.

Seema Zeya, victim services program manager in MPD’s Office of Organizational Development, oversees the unit and its supervisor, Carla Okonkwo. Okonkwo was hired to head the program at the end of October 2003.

"Our hope is that specialists work with the family to support their needs. They will in turn be more comfortable to talk to the detectives," Okonkwo said.

The unit hopes to bring more cases to a close, providing a liaison so that victims’ families can help themselves while they are able to possibly assist in bringing a close to the cases of their family members, said Trisha Gentle, director of justice grants and victim services.

The D.C. Justice Grants Administration funds the program through a $220,000 grant. The money for the program was originally raised through fines the D.C. courts collected, eventually resulting in an $18 million surplus. Congress took over the funds and then re-appropriated them to the District specifically for victim assistance. The District received the money in August 2002 and then decided to allocate it to MPD for the program, Gentle said.

The unit falls under the MPD’s Violent Crime Branch and is housed in the same building as detectives in charge of homicide cases. The close proximity of the parties should help to maintain their working together, Okonkwo said.

At a homicide scene, a patrol officer is the first respondent. Then a number of detectives, depending on the severity of the situation, begin their investigation. At this point, the new staffers are not going out to the crime scenes to immediately deal with victims’ families, but this could be a goal for the future of the unit, Okonkwo said.

Instead, the specialist waits until detectives notify the appropriate next of kin before he or she contacts any victim’s family.

"We make contact within 24 hours of when the case is assigned to us," Okonkwo said. "We will contact them by phone initially, then (within three days) follow-up with a letter."

The letter provides information about counseling centers and information on the Crime Victim Compensation Program, which provides monetary support for things like funeral services.

If the next of kin does not want to deal with the liaison, he or she is able to designate a spokesperson for the family to maintain communication between the unit and the victim’s family.

"From there, we contact them weekly for the first 60 days and then monthly for the next year," Okonkwo said.

This contact is typically a phone call, but can be a personal visit depending on the requests and comfort of the family.

The program has two civilian staff members as of now, a supervisor and a specialist. Both have backgrounds in victim services and/or counseling and have degrees in counseling. By the end of the year, Okonkwo hopes for two additions to the staff, bringing the unit to a total of four liaisons.

"Next year, we will file for a new grant, asking for more money to support three more positions," Okonkwo said.

The unit is currently focused on working new cases in 2004 and cases that will emerge throughout the year.

"We are planning on expanding and including back cases," Okonkwo said.

In December, the unit sent out 145 letters to families of open homicide cases, introducing them to the unit and updating them on the status of their case. In the few weeks since the letters, nine families have responded.

"The unit will expand, as they respond to us," Okonkwo said. Immediate expansions include a posting for a bilingual staffer to communicate with Hispanic families in the District.

Councilwoman Kathleen Patterson, who chairs the committee with oversight of the police department, agrees the unit is a move in the right direction as the Violent Crime Unit at MPD continues to improve its practices. But she said the addition is overdue.

"I regret that it took the Williams administration three years to make good on a promise," Patterson said.

In addition to getting the new unit off the ground, there are plans to create a Victim Service Administration, Gentle said. Expanding on the new program, the ultimate goal is to provide services for all victims of violent crimes – including rape, child abuse, sexual assault and domestic abuse. Over the next month or so, discussions for the possible expansion are planned to start.

"These funds allow us a pretty remarkable opportunity to provide these services," Gentle said. "We want to start the process and get some things settled so we can move forward."