I am grateful for the opportunity to bring news about your DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office to you in our Arcadian newspaper. I would like to share a few thoughts in this month’s article about the Victim Advocate Program here at the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office. The DCSO and the Arcadia Police Department both have a Victim Advocate professional. Florida State Statute 960.01 provides guidelines for law enforcement agencies to follow concerning victim and witness assistance.

What is a Victim Advocate you may ask? To sum it up, it’s a person who becomes a liaison between the needs of the victim, law enforcement and the courts. A Victim Advocate provides the victim with compassionate support and assists the victim through the criminal justice and juvenile justice process.