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Utah County attorney’s office reports VOCA grant compliance, notes rise in domestic assaults during pandemic
Summary
Victim-witness coordinator Jamie Barzee told the Utah County Board of Commissioners the county is compliant with its VOCA grant after a state desk review and on-site audit found a single minor overbilling of $6.16 that was corrected; she said staff are seeing more physical assaults and domestic violence amid COVID-19 and described staffing and remote-service adjustments.
Jamie Barzee, a victim-witness coordinator with the Utah County Attorney’s Office, told the Board of County Commissioners the office remains compliant with its Victim of Crime Act (VOCA) grant and has completed required reporting to the Utah Office for Victims of Crime.
Barzee said the state conducted a desk review and an on-site audit (citing 2 CFR 200.331) that examined written policies, financial documentation for grant-billed expenses in July–September 2019 and federal reporting. That review produced one minor finding: $6.16 in overbilled travel from the first quarter of 2019, which Barzee said the office remedied by reducing a later travel billing by the same amount.
Barzee described the county’s service activity and staffing changes. She credited an intern from Utah Valley University, Sarah Blackwell, and a reassigned legal assistant, Patty Rodriguez, along with civil-division legal assistance on restitution, for helping the victim-witness team manage a high caseload. Barzee said the office met or exceeded grant goals in Q3 for initial victim contact, court attendance with victims, victim education about resources, and providing victim contact information to probation and prosecutors.
On crime trends, Barzee said, "I am on the front lines," and reported a clear increase in physical assaults and domestic-violence cases since the start of the pandemic. She said child-abuse reports appear not to have risen at the same rate, which she attributed to reduced third-party reporting (fewer school or religious contacts) rather than a drop in incidents.
Barzee described service delivery changes driven by COVID-19: prosecutors and staff are meeting with victims via Webex and Zoom, using phone and text outreach, emailing court Webex invitations, and scheduling practice Webex sessions so victims can participate remotely. She said the office is apprehensive about meeting fourth-quarter goals for in-person court attendance but will continue to prioritize victims who seek updates.
The presentation closed after commissioners asked about average staff time per case and reporting sources for child-abuse notifications. Barzee said time per case varies widely and that many child reports come from outside sources such as counselors or ecclesiastical leaders. The commissioners did not take formal action on the VOCA report.
