Woodland, CA – (April 21, 2022) – Yolo County District Attorney and the Victim Services Program will host their 16th Annual Crime Victims’ Tribute Ceremony on Tuesday, April 26th from 12:00 pm to 12:50 pm via livestream.
Victim Services Program Manager Laura Valdes states, “this year’s theme – rights, access, equity, for all victims – highlights enforcing victim rights, expanding access to services, and ensuring equity and inclusion for all. Working through the pandemic has promoted new ways of providing services to victims and ensuring their rights are met through the delays COVID-19 has caused. We will continue to find ways to be innovative in Victim Services and ensure all victims’ rights are met.”
After District Attorney Jeff Reisig opens the ceremony, there will be a moment of silence to recognize victims whose lives were lost due to a crime. Retired Deputy Police Chief of the Davis Police Department, Paul Doroshov, will give the keynote address, and then the District Attorney’s Office will honor four people who have shown great strength in the face of the crimes against them:
• A victim of a financial scam who followed the prompt of a pop-up message imitating tech support that led to his device being remotely accessed, leading the scammers to have access to his online banking. The scammers intimidated and confused the victim, continuously calling him. Once he realized something wasn’t right, he was able to assess and take control of his finances by setting preventative measures to avoid further theft.
• A man who went out to a local night club expecting to have good time but instead experienced one of the worst nights of his life. On his way out of the night club, shots were fired, a person was shot and fell to the ground. This man, without thought for himself, bent down to help the person who was shot. Despite the length it took to present this case, justice was served 10 years later.
• Two residents of Woodland who experienced an attempted break in. Their participation in the Restorative Justice Partnership was a model example of how this program can be used to repair the damage done by crimes. These victims were able directly tell the offender the impact of his crime, hear him accept responsibility for it, and tell him how they felt he could address the harm he caused them, himself, and the community.
The Hero of the Year Award will be presented to Empower Yolo for their outstanding services to residents of Yolo County. Their staff provides essential assistance to survivors of family and domestic violence, elder abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking through counseling, legal aid, support groups, and their safe house. Not only that, but they work hard to connect all community members to the resources they need.
Victim Services will also present their Contribution to the Community for 2022: a new program designed to meet the need of victims in a mass violence event. The effects of these crimes ripple out through the community, and this program is designed to meet the unique needs of these victims through extensive planning and coordination with emergency responders and community organizations, and by having advocates available to provide direct services and crisis response to victims.
This ceremony provides an opportunity for lawmakers and law enforcement to re-commit to upholding these survivors’ rights throughout the criminal justice process; for community organizations and government agencies to dedicate themselves to ensuring all survivors of crime receive accessible services to aid in their recovery; and finally, it is a reminder to everyone to support all survivors of crime through their journeys. District Attorney Jeff Reisig stated about the annual event, that “we are honored to take this time to recognize the courage of all crime victims.”
The District Attorney’s Office invites the public to attend the event to observe and pay tribute to these survivors of crime. It will be streamed live via zoom at the following link: https://yolocounty.zoom.us/j/87310355177 It will also be streamed live on the Yolo County District Attorney’s social media platforms. If you have any questions about the event, please call Victim Services at (530) 666-8187.
###
