FCPD Commemorates National Crime Victim’s Rights Week, Highlights Leading Victims Services

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This week, we commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This initiative, created by the United States Department of Justice, is meant to bring awareness to the lives impacted by senseless crimes. Violent crime shatters lives and changes futures. Survivors of crime often experience many emotions, including anger, fear, isolation, helplessness, depression, and financial hardship.

Our Victim Services Division, established in 1986, helps ensure the rights of crime victims are protected. Victim specialists provide immediate, direct support, and help crime victims, their families, and witnesses. Victim specialists are with them every step of the way, throughout the court process and beyond. 

The Victim Services Division is embedded in our Major Crimes Bureau to allow victims to have a continuum of services from the moment the crime happens. In 2022, victim specialists helped 3,521 victims of crime.

“Tragedy happens far too often, and when it does the 14 victim specialists that make up the Victim Services Division are there to help pick up the pieces of lives forever changed. Every day our victim specialists see the worst humanity has to offer in the crimes we work. We also see the best humanity has to offer by meeting our victims at their very worst and watching them go through the journey of becoming a survivor. The courage and strength of victims and survivors are inspiring, and we take that with us on every new case we work. Our victim specialists represent a commitment that goes above and beyond. “– Saly Fayez, Director of Victim Services Division.

Our victim specialists believe in a victim-centered and trauma-informed team approach. They help victims feel empowered and supported during this difficult process. Specialists inform victims of their rights, provide on-scene support, assist with filing Virginia Victims’ Funds claims, court advocacy, and more.

We are forever grateful for the hard work and dedication of each member of our Victim Services Division. They regularly sacrifice time with their family and loved ones to ensure victims of violent crime are supported in what may be the hardest time of their lives.

The Victim Services Division helps crime victims residing in Fairfax County, Fairfax City, and in the Towns of Herndon and Vienna. To learn more about our Victim Services Division and crime categories eligible for services, click here.