Fayette County Sheriff outlines Amanda Center services, partnership network for victims of domestic and sexual violence

Sheriff Kathy Witt told the Lexington City Social Services and Public Safety Committee on April 15 that the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office operates the Amanda Center, a unit of the sheriff’s office that provides around-the-clock advocacy and support to people seeking protective orders and other services related to domestic and sexual violence.

Witt said the Amanda Center currently has six advocates, four sworn staff and a commander, and that the office uses federal grant funding to cover part of those salaries and to pay for nontraditional supports such as rideshare credit for court appearances, installation of home security devices and a GPS ankle-monitoring capability that can be deployed immediately when a judge orders monitoring under a protective order. “We are open 24/7, 365 days a year,” Witt said. “When you come to the courthouse, you’re going to be met with someone who supports you and who believes you.”

The Amanda Center, Witt said, also enters emergency protective orders and domestic abuse orders into state and national systems so the orders are accessible to law…