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Bountiful victim advocate reports 96 crime victims, 661 services in six-month period
Summary
Bountiful City’s victim services advocate reported 96 victims assisted and 661 services provided in the prior six months, with domestic violence comprising the largest category; the program is federally funded under the Victims of Crime Act and staff are seeking a two-year grant renewal.
Colette Rampton, Bountiful City’s victim services advocate, presented the program’s biannual report at the Jan. 28 council meeting, saying the office assisted 96 victims of crime from July 1 to Dec. 31 and provided 661 services during that period.
Rampton said the program is federally funded under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 and that she helps victims navigate criminal-justice proceedings, file victim-impact statements, and access community resources. She described services including information and referral, emotional support, safety planning, accompaniment to hearings, victim-notification enrollment and help with victim-reparation applications through the Utah Office for Victims of Crime.
Rampton provided a breakdown of offense types she assisted: 47 domestic-violence cases, one sexual-assault case, one child physical-abuse case, one DUI victim, 11 stalking/harassment cases, 10 violations of protective orders, 19 property-damage cases and two theft cases. She said she assisted with 32 pretrial protective orders and 13 sentencing protective orders; she also helped with one civil stalking injunction and two civil protective orders.
Rampton described training and tools used in the work, including the VINE victim-notification network and the Safe at Home alternative-address program for survivors who need an alternate mailing address.
Council members asked about trends and funding. Rampton said protective-order work had increased slightly in the last six months compared with the previous six months and that she was in the process of applying to renew the two-year federal grant (application due March 31). Council members said they would monitor potential federal grant freezes and consider outreach to congressional representatives if funding were threatened.
Why it matters: Rampton’s office provides direct services and court accompaniment that city officials said are important and sometimes lifesaving, especially for victims of domestic violence. The report gave council members data to monitor service demand and to consider outreach if federal funding is at risk.
What’s next: Rampton will submit the grant renewal application by March 31 and will provide follow-up data to the council. Council members suggested possible public-outreach opportunities to expand awareness of the service.
No council vote was required for the informational report.
