Buda seeks victim liaison

BUDA — Currently, the Buda Police Department is the only law enforcement agency in Hays County that does not have at least one victim assistance position, which would provide a high level of service to victims of crime in Buda. A grant could soon change that.

In an effort to support victims of crime in Buda, the city council unanimously approved the adoption of a resolution authorizing BPD to apply for grant funding for a victim assistance coordinator during its May 2 meeting.

The Texas Office of Attorney General offers grant funding for law enforcement agencies to provide victim assistance support in the state. The grant covers the coordinator’s salary of up to $41,600 annually for two years.

“Throughout Central Texas, we’ve had different organizations, whether they were law enforcement or prosecutorial organizations, that have services available for victims of crimes,” council member LaVonia Horne-Williams said. “And I’m just excited that the chief has moved Buda into that same game and that we’re going to have someone here should we get approved for the grant through the AG’s office, but I’m sure hoping that we do because it’s super important that as we move and as we grow as a community, we’ve got someone in our police department that’s here to support those types of services.”

According to Buda Chief of Police Bo Kidd, BPD is the smallest law enforcement agency in the county and was only founded approximately 13 years ago, starting with nine officers and one administrative assistant. Now, the department finds itself growing alongside the city.

“When we started, we just basically covered regular patrol services and we weren’t capable of doing a whole lot more than that,” Kidd said. “But we’re at a point now where I think this is a position that’s needed. In the past, we have relied on the help of some of the surrounding agencies.”

The police chief explained that other staff members have filled in the role of a victim assistance coordinator, but with the growth, Kidd said he feels “like we can justify a full-time position. There was an opportunity through the AG’s office, so we’re hopefully going to get that grant and the city is willing to accept it.”

Some of the position responsibilities include the following: maintains a positive working agreement with community agencies to secure available resources for victims and their families; serves as the first point of contact for victims of a misdemeanor, felony — violent and non-violent — property and family crimes that have been reported to and verified by the Buda Police Department; refers victims to counseling, social services, shelters and other agencies for assistance; and more.

“We often deal with tragedy and crimes where there are victims of crimes, so this position will work with victims and their families and they’re going to serve as a point of contact,” the chief said. “Sometimes, it’s emotional support to victims that could be helping them navigate through the court system and know what to expect and they’ll also collaborate with other surrounding agencies.”

The position is of the utmost importance for victims of crimes, Kidd explained.

“You don’t want to revictimize victims and we are a city and a police department that provides full services and meets the needs of our citizens,” he said. “Every call for service that we have, [officers] will meet face-to-face [with victims] as necessary and we feel like this community expects a high level of service and that’s the level of service that we’ve always tried to provide. This is just another extension of that. Oftentimes, victims are revictimized just because they don’t know how to navigate the [court system] and they don’t understand how a case progresses or don’t understand the justice system. I think this [position] is just another extension of providing a high level of service to our community.”