Victim Advocate

Job Description:

Victim Advocate

Description

All current City of Sarasota employees must apply to job postings on the internal career site.

Come work at a place where employees of the City serve with Excellence and Pride!

NOTE: The City of Sarasota is an Equal Employment Opportunity , Veteran, E-Verify and Drug Free Workplace employer. Click to view the City's Veterans Recruitment Plan . Click to view a the City's Educational Equivalency Statement.

Department:
Criminal Investigation Division

Employee Type:
Probationary

Time Type:
Full time

Salary Range:
$23.0424 - $28.8030 Hourly / $47,928.19 - $59,910.24 Annually

Job Posting Period:
April 22, 2025 - May 07, 2025 12:00 A.M.

Job Description:

Overview

Victim Advocate supports the daily operations of the Victim Advocate Program. Provides crisis intervention, direct, trauma-informed advocacy, and support services to victims of crime or personal crises. Assists victims of crimes by providing information about their legal rights, available community resources, and referrals to relevant assistance organizations. Coordinates with all facets of the criminal justice process.

Essential Functions

• Provides immediate and temporary crisis intervention to primary, and if necessary, secondary victims and witnesses.
  
• Trains sworn and non-sworn personnel who have contact with victim/witnesses about the rights and needs of victim/witnesses under current policies.
  
• Trains sworn and non-sworn personnel about the existence and function of the program.
  
• Assists in the notification of the family when an employee of the Sarasota Police Department is killed or seriously injured in the line of duty and all other Family Liaison Officer duties consistent with written directives and maintains long-term contact with the family to assist in any way.
  
• Assists victims of crime with immediate needs regarding safety and security.
  
• Establishes partnerships with organizations in the community that provide or facilitate victims' services and coordinate referrals with relevant assistance organizations.
  
• Assists victims/witnesses through the criminal justice system, maintaining contact with victims, providing education about crime victims' rights, updating them on case status, ensuring a seamless transition of cases, and coordinating appointments with the State Attorney's Office for case preparation and court appearances.
  
• Assures victims/witnesses are advised of the status of their cases, including the arrests and release of suspects, as possible.
  
• Maintains familiarity with Florida victim rights laws, the criminal justice system, and available community resources.
  
• Serves as a liaison for the victim within the Department.
  
• Acts as a liaison with other criminal justice agencies and institutions concerned with victim/witness needs.
  
• Assists officers and detectives to provide assistance and information on cases.
  
• Assists community agencies and organizations in working with victim/witnesses.
  
• Assists victims in filing for compensation from the Bureau of Victim Compensation.
  
• Provides appropriate assistance to victim/witnesses who have been threatened or who, in the judgement of the agency express specific, credible reasons for fearing intimidation or further victimization.
  
• Provides assistance to victims in which there is a death, serious injury or serious emotional trauma to the victim or the victim's family.
  
• Transports victims/witnesses when appropriate.
  
• At no time will confidential information pertaining to a victim or a victim's case be presented to or discussed with anyone not officially involved in the case.
  
• Submits supplemental reports on cases when requested.
  
• Maintains detailed and confidential case files, documenting all services provided, and follows up with victims as necessary to ensure ongoing support.
  
• The intent of this class description is to provide a representative summary of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of classifications given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Incumbent may be required to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this job description.
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate's Degree from an accredited college or university,
  
• Two (2) years of experience in related work involving contact with the public,
  
• Or the equivalent in education, training, and experience, which would provide the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities.
  

Job Based Competencies

• Ability to effectively respond to crises and individuals in crisis.
  
• Ability and capacity to handle multiple responsibilities in fast-paced and high-stress environments.
  
• Ability to manage secondary trauma exposure while maintaining emotional resilience.
  
• Ability to apply a trauma-informed approach to all interactions, ensuring the victim's safety, empowerment, and emotional well-being are being prioritized.
  
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality.
  
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other department and City employees.
  
• Ability to fully understand the criminal justice system and the ability to explain thoroughly to victims and witnesses.
  
• Ability to maintain liaison with other criminal justice agencies and institutions concerned with victim/witness needs.
  
• Ability to work flexible hours and be on call 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week to be available to respond to any crisis or location in which an officer or detective needs to assess, triage, and provide direct, in-person crisis intervention assistance to a victim or an impacted family.
  
• Ability to acquire ongoing/advanced training on a variety of topics related to victimization and its impact on the community.
  
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to create presentations and prepare clear, comprehensive, and concise documents and reports.
  

Responsibility

Under the direction of and responsible to the Police Chief or designated representative. No supervision exercised.

Physical Requirements

Position requires visual acuity for reviewing, checking, preparing, and maintaining written and computer files.Incumbent is required to have sufficient hearing to accurately perceive information at normal spoken word levels.Manual dexterity to operate standard office, data entry, and word processing equipment is required.

Public Contact

Considerable public contact.

Retirement Benefit

The City of Sarasota made the transition to become a Florida Retirement System (FRS) employer effective December 1, 2021. To learn more about what this benefit may mean for you, please visit MyFrs.com. Please note that if you are hired to work for the City of Sarasota as an FRS employer, you will be asked to complete a form to certify your FRS status, as there may be an impact to any FRS benefit you are already receiving.

I f you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to Jake Brown our ADA Coordinator. Jake can be reached via email at Jake.Brown@sarasotafl.gov or via phone at 941-263-6299.

F or questions pertaining to general employment or job application status, please call 941-263-6476, or email HR@sarasotafl.gov

Salary:

$47,928.19 - $59,910.24 Annually