Attorney General Standards for Providing Services to Victims of Sexual Assault

Sexual Assault Community Relations, Outreach Programs and Training Plan

July 1, 2021 – December 30, 2021

The members of the Special Investigations Division have worked collaboratively with Salem County Women’s Services to provide a victim-centered approach to all sexual assault victims going through the legal process. Unfortunately, due to the COVlD-19 Pandemic, detectives from the Special Investigations Division did not have an opportunity to provide the Salem County student population with our sexual assault awareness program during the second half of the year. We will continue the collaboration of services with the Salem County Women’s Services to provide the necessary tools on how to report an incident of sexual abuse to the student population during the next school year.

During the COVlD-19 Pandemic, the detectives from the Special Investigations Division, Victim Witness Unit along with Forensic Nurse Coordinator Cataldi, have been able to stay in contact virtually and collaborate with all of our partners from the Salem County Women’s Services, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, and the Victims Services Unit Traffic & Public Safety Office from the New Jersey State Police. During the virtual meetings, the team brings together the expertise and skills of our different professions to assess, plan and manage each sexual assault case jointly. We plan to continue the SART and Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings in-person at the Child Advocacy Center next year.

On December 6, 2021, members from the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office, Salem County Women’s Services and an EMT from Salem County RESCUE, provided a Signs of Abuse Presentation to approximately (25) twenty-five Salem County teachers. The presentation consisted of the Role of the Special Investigations Division, Human Trafficking, Internet Safety, Internet Crimes Against Children, Prevention Tips, Sexual Assault Forensic Exam/Role of the Forensic Nurse, Sexual Assault Survivor Protection Act, Nicole’s Law, Handle with Care, Victim Witness Services, Benefits of Salem County’s Child Advocacy Center and the Multi-Disciplinary Team, available counseling services at Salem County Women’s Services, and RESCUE services.

The Salem County Prosecutor’s Website was updated to include the current need for Forensic Nurses. Due to unseen circumstances, two Forensic Nurses had to step down from their position and Salem County currently has (6) six Forensic Nurses on call.

The Sexual Assault Response Team, along with members of the Special Investigations Division, and our Forensic Nurse Coordinator, will schedule and provide SART training in the future. The agencies to be trained include: Houses of Worship, Municipal Alliance for Prevention of Substance Abuse (MAPSA) and Recovery Encouragement Support Community Understanding Empowerment (RESCUE) family groups, along with Law Enforcement agencies. SART pamphlets are always available at each hospital site explaining the program along with contact information to initiate a SART activation.