The Mayor and Chief of Police for the City of Atlanta are committed to ensuring that Atlanta is a safe city.

Unfortunately, even with our greatest efforts, many people are traumatized each year as a result of violent crime. In order to assist crime victims, in 1973 the City of Atlanta contracted with the Metropolitan Atlanta Crime Commission's Victim Witness Assistance Program to provide services to victims of crimes. All services are offered free of charge.

Initially this program was created to assist only victims of crimes who appeared in Atlanta Municipal Court. In July 2003, after becoming an independent 501c(3) organization, the Victim Witness Assistance Program expanded its services by partnering with the Atlanta Police Department, assigning advocates to each of its six zones to provide services to all victims. This enables our program to offer victims help immediately after a crime has occurred, during the court process, and during the aftermath.

Over the twenty years of our existence we have been able to increase our services to victims of crime. We provide immediate services through our first responder services; we keep victims informed of the status of their cases; we provide crisis intervention and emotional support; we provide escorts to hearings for moral support; we offer support groups for survivors of victims of homicide and domestic violence; and we provide education on the criminal justice process to victims.

Through our speakers bureau we are able to fulfill request for advocates and AVA volunteers to attend neighborhood and community meetings, schools, businesses, and violence-prevention fairs.

Our main goal is for every victim to leave our office with hope and encouragement; and also for every victim to leave our office with information to help make the criminal justice process more familiar and understandable. We strive to help as many victims as possible from the time a crime has been committed against them until the criminal justice system has finished with the case or it is received by another advocacy agency. For more information, please do not hesitate to call us at (404) 588-4740.

As a citizen of Atlanta you are ensured a safe and livable community, however, if by chance you are a victim of crime . . .

WE ARE HERE TO ASSIST YOU!

Richard Pennington Chief of Police, City of Atlanta 404 817-6900 www.Atlantapd.org

On behalf of the members of the Atlanta Police Department, I would like to commend Ms. Brenda Muhammad and her staff on the invaluable service the Victim Witness Program provides. As victims of violent crimes, you are often traumatized twice, during the commission of the crime and during the court proceedings.

The Atlanta Police Department and the Victim Witness Assistance Program are here to help you through both and to minimize the pain, stress and inconvenience of these experiences.

The Atlanta Police Department is sensitive to your needs as a victim of a violent crime. During our initial contact, we will make every effort to ensure that you are treated with compassion and provide you with excellent service through out the criminal justice process. Our goal is to make sure that after this process is completed, you are again able to enjoy the quality of life that our great City has to offer.

It is our hope that you will avail yourself to every aspect of this worthwhile program and if the Atlanta Police Department can be of any assistance to you, please
contact us at (404) 817-6900