Sheriff Lillywhite to Host Victim Advocate Training

St. Joseph County Sheriff Mark Lillywhite (Image provided by St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office)

St. Joseph County Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said he will be hosting Victim Advocate Training by the Michigan Sheriff’s Association (MSA) in a press release Thursday. The training will take place this weekend at the Fabius-Park Fire Department and runs Friday through Sunday. New Victim Services Unit team members will receive training in a range of topics that include effective communication and mental health, as well as law enforcement and fire protocols.

Now in its 30th year, the Victim Services Unit in the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office was begun in 1990. Victim Services Units are typically volunteer components of local sheriff’s offices. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office unit consists of 26 local volunteers who are “dedicated to assisting families and victims” as they “navigate crisis situations,” Lillywhite said.

Through programs like the one scheduled for this weekend, these volunteers receive training from the MSA that helps them to be able to “provide compassionate support in times of extreme stress, such as the loss of a loved one or being the victim of a crime,” Lillywhite said. “We are fortunate to have a strong team of people providing support to the community when they need it most.”

Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.