Marion County Commissioners approve $13000 for victim assistance program - Marion Star

The Marion County Board of Commissioners approved a petition for wealth to payment the Marion Victim Assistance Program (VAP).

Courtney Rittenour, unfortunate advocator for the Marion VAP and presently the lone worker successful that office, sought a full of $26,000 from the region commissioners and the City of Marion to money a part-time victims advocator assistance head position. Each section authorities portion was asked to supply $13,000 annually to money the position.

Sheriff Matt Bayles requested partial backing successful the magnitude of $13,000 from the region commissioners to wage for a part-time victims advocator assistance head presumption successful the Marion VAP office. The solution approved 3-0 by the commissioners connected Oct. 27 funds the presumption connected an yearly basis.

"This programme is invaluable," Bayles said. "One of the things that affects instrumentality enforcement officers are the victims - the radical that we spot astatine transgression scenes. (The unfortunate advocates) instrumentality the cases from opening to extremity erstwhile they spell to court. They assistance the victims and not lone successful court. They travel retired and assistance the instrumentality enforcement agencies astatine transgression scenes. There's times erstwhile the victims don't consciousness comfy talking to a constabulary serviceman oregon a sheriff's lawman and we'll bring the unfortunate advocates successful to assistance creaseless the process retired and assistance with the investigations."

Bayles said, according to statistic provided by Rittenour, that 473 home unit cases person been investigated by the Marion Police Department and Marion County Sheriff's Office frankincense acold successful 2022, including 5 caller cases conscionable this week. Additionally, the Marion Victim Assistance Program has served 704 transgression victims arsenic of Sept. 30, Rittenour said.

Marion Police Chief Jay McDonald said the fig of home unit and battle cases successful the metropolis of Marion unsocial has accrued dramatically this year. McDonald reported that during the archetypal six months of 2022, constabulary investigated 229 cases of home unit compared to 177 cases during the aforesaid six-month play successful 2021. The full fig of home unit cases investigated by MPD successful each of 2021 was 358.

Prior to the region commissioners approving the petition past week, Marion VAP received nary backing successful the signifier of section taxation dollars from either region oregon municipal authorities successful Marion County, Rittenour said. Its lone backing sources are the Victim of Crime Act (VOCA) ($45,000) and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) ($45,000) assistance programs on with grants from United Way of North Central Ohio ($15,000) and the Marion Community Foundation ($25,000). Other section organizations bash marque donations to the programme connected occasion.

During its gathering connected Oct. 3, Marion City Council's concern committee took nary enactment connected an ordinance submitted by Law Director Mark Russell seeking $13,000 from the metropolis to assistance money the part-time victims advocator assistance head position. The ordinance is backmost connected the committee's docket for its adjacent gathering astatine 6:30 p.m. connected Monday, Nov. 7. To spot the implicit gathering docket for Marion City Council, spell to the city's website www.marionohio.us.

Russell told the concern committee connected Oct. 3 that Marion VAP plays a captious relation successful helping victims flooded anxiousness astir assisting successful the prosecution of the crimes committed against them.

"What I saw for the archetypal clip successful rather a portion was the reluctance of victims to travel to court," Russell said. "As Courtney has mentioned, galore of them wouldn't adjacent fuss to come, truthful they request to beryllium encouraged to travel and past (Marion VAP) provides them services erstwhile they're (in court) because, arsenic galore of america are aware, a unfortunate of home unit galore times volition recant, not privation to prosecute it, and that was connected a melodramatic summation earlier this year.

"With unfortunate assistance services here, the unfortunate is much apt not to recant a erstwhile connection and to assistance successful the prosecution and condemnation of that convulsive offender. Once a idiosyncratic has been convicted of home violence, a consequent lawsuit tin beryllium filed arsenic a felony."

The Marion Victim Assistance Program operates arsenic a part of the Marion County Sheriff's Office. Its bureau is located astatine the Marion Police Department, which Rittenour said affords easier and quicker entree to the program's clients successful Marion Municipal Court, Marion County Family Court, and Marion County Common Pleas Court.

For accusation astir the Marion Victim Assistance Program, interaction Courtney Rittenour astatine 740-387-4401 oregon email vap@co.marion.oh.us.

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