Discussion and possible action to enter accept a grant award in the amount of $27,715.32 (OAG Contract No. 1660661) for the Statewide Automated Victim Notification Service (SAVNS) from the Office of the Texas Attorney General (OAG) for the automated notification of crime victims for a period of Twelve (12) months beginning on September 1, 2015, through August 31, 2016, for a total amount of Twenty-Seven Thousand Seven Hundred Fifteen Dollars and Thirty-Two Cents ($27,715.32) and authorizing the Webb County Judge to execute all relevant documents; and any other matters incident thereto. The grant agreement was sent by the OAG on September 3, 2015, and is required to be signed/returned by Wednesday, September 30, 2015. [Grant Fund Source 321]
Issue: In the past decades, many crime victims, such as victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, were unaware if their respective crime perpetrators were able to post bail and released from the corrections system. In late 1993, one particular victim who had been raped, assaulted, and stalked in Jefferson County was unaware that her former boyfriend had been released and was subsequently ambushed by him after she left work. She was shot Seven (7) times at point blank range and killed on that day, her 21st birthday.
Solution: As a result of community outrage, an automated telephone notification system for crime victims and other concerned citizens was instituted: Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) Service. This nationwide system is funded for Texas counties through the Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and is currently utilized by Webb County.
Result: The crime victims of Laredo/Webb County can enroll in this program and will be provided with automated notification upon an offender’s custody status change, such as release, transfer, and/or relevant district court dates.
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