Discuss, consider and take appropriate action on a Resolution authorizing the District Attorney to submit an application to the Office of the Governor, Public Safety Office (PSO) for a Violence Against Women Justice and Training Program, FY2023 Project, committing to provide all applicable matching funds, designating the District Attorney as the official authorized to apply for the grant, and designating the Williamson County Judge, with approval of the Williamson County Commissioner’s Court, as the official authorized to accept, reject, alter, or terminate the grant, and providing assurance that, in the event of loss or misuse of grant funds Williamson County will return all funds to PSO.

The purpose of the grant is to fund projects that promote a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach to improve the justice system’s response to violent crimes against women, including domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.  The grant requires 30% matching fund commitment from Williamson County.

The District Attorney received this grant last year that funded a felony prosecutor devoted to cases involving adult sexual assault offenses and allowed the District Attorney to establish a Special Victims Unit (SVU). The District Attorney’s SVU models vertical prosecution of special victim crimes, meaning that the SVU is  involved in the cases from intake through final disposition. 

The felony prosecutor funded by this grant specializes in handling cases involving violence against women and intimate partner violence. In addition, the prosecutor provides training to many different entities including the District Attorney’s Office, law enforcement, Department of Family and Protective Services, advocacy groups and other members of the public; attends meetings and participates in case reviews with community stakeholders to encourage community collaboration; partners with law enforcement agencies at the beginning of the investigation and then prosecutes the case in the courtroom thereby serving a dual purpose of educating law enforcement as well as other prosecutors.

This specialized prosecutor is also a member of the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) which was recently redeveloped by the Williamson County Commissioner’s Court. As a member of the SART, this prosecutor represents the District Attorney’s Office in an effort to create an infrastructure of resources, awareness, connection, and case coordination with law enforcement and other community partners to address adult sex crimes in Williamson County.

Adult sexual assault cases have historically been under reported, under investigated and under prosecuted.  The continuing goal of this project is to serve the victims of sexually violent offenses with a prosecutor who works with the sexual assault survivor throughout their criminal justice experience, from the beginning of the case to the end.

Establishing the SVU has been an important step in equipping the District Attorney with the resources necessary to do justice through assisting law enforcement in developing investigations and through prosecution of special victim crimes.

Thank you for considering this request.

Attachments:
VAWA Grant Funding Announcement
Grant Management Request Questionnaire
Resolution