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Utah County victim coordinator says VOCA goals behind but expects to meet annual targets
Summary
Chris Buckley told commissioners second-quarter VOCA metrics were down in some goals but staff added hours to key positions and expect to meet yearly targets; commissioners heard concerns about gaps serving Spanish-speaking victims.
Chris Buckley, victim coordinator in the Utah County Attorney’s Office, told the Utah County Commission during a semiannual briefing that second‑quarter performance under the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant fell short of several quarterly goals but that staff expect to meet annual targets. “We were down a couple, of numbers in some of the goals,” Buckley said, adding that the office increased staffing by 10 hours for victim coordinator Katie Fox to help meet demand.
Buckley said VOCA reviewers allow adjustments to targets based on prior-year figures and that the office is not currently worried about losing funding but acknowledged a risk if shortfalls persist. “There is a chance…to lose the VOCA grant if we continually don’t meet the goals,” he said, then added that, historically, the office has been able to rebalance numbers by year end.
Commissioners and staff identified a persistent service gap for Spanish‑speaking victims. “One of the trends we have seen…is the increase in the number of Spanish speaking victims and witnesses that we need to provide services to,” said Jeff Pumoni, who asked commissioners to consider incentives to recruit fluent Spanish‑speaking staff. Pumoni said existing bilingual employees are overtaxed and the office has had limited success filling vacancies with qualified Spanish speakers.
Buckley described refinements in communication with victims, and noted the office encourages victims to call for assistance when needed. He said misdemeanor victims historically receive fewer formal resources than felony victims and that the office’s primary caseload focuses on domestic violence, sexual assault and homicide cases, which require more court contact and advocacy.
No formal action was required; commissioners accepted the update.
