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The Guthrie Police Department Victims Advocate Program began in 2015 after Officer Michael Johns noticed the amount of domestic violence calls he received while on shift. One day at work, a woman came into the lobby and asked to speak to the “domestic violence cop” and Johns realized she was talking about him
“It was brought to the attention of the chief that there’s this program you can apply for and receive a grant to have a victim advocate within the police department to help people after law enforcement has been on the scene,” Johns said. “We read through it all and chief thought I’d probably be a really good fit for this and we filled out all the paperwork, applied and we got it.”
Funded through the grant program VOCA, Victims of Crime Act, money is generated through the criminal justice system when people pay fines and one of those fines is the VOCA. That money goes into a federal pot that is then distributed to each state and each year that money is awarded to different programs that apply for the grant. Close to 180 programs in Oklahoma are funded through VOCA, such as Logan Community Services and Wings of Hope in Stillwater.
Guthrie Victim Advocates are not part of the criminal investigation process and are for the benefit of the victim only. Victim services are provided in person, in the office, on scene or other location, and by phone. Advocates are not counselors nor can they give any legal advice or provide law enforcement services, however, they can provide referrals to such services. Advocates can offer the victim information about different options available to them and support the victims’ informed decisionmaking process. If the victim does not want to report a crime or give their name, they do not have to.
“They don’t have to be involved in the criminal justice system or have contact with law enforcement to receive services,” Patricia Mutters, Guthrie Victims Advocate, said. “We serve walk-ins, people who maybe found our brochure or a friend told them. We help anybody regardless of law enforcement involvement.”
“Sometimes people are just embarrassed to let family and friends know or they just don’t want to make a police report. So we can still provide services regardless,” Johns said.
Sgt. Anthony Gibbs, of the Guthrie Police Department, said that since the Victims Advocate Program began, he’s seen a reduction in chronic, repeat domestic violence offenses.
“The Victims Advocate Program is kind of the missing key that we’ve had in a long time,” Sgt. Anthony Gibbs said. “Through the grant, what they have done is taken this huge gap from where the police officer’s job lets off to where prosecution begins. There’s this massive gap here where people aren’t taken care of, in fact, in this gap is where many times the aggressor can get the victim to change their mind because there has been a systematic pattern leading up to this.”
The program is for all victims of violent crimes including, but not limited to, robbery, sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, elder abuse and immediate family members of homicide. Johns said statistically about 65% of the people that they serve falls under the domestic violence category. Now, it’s not just that they’re a victim of domestic violence, it could be also several other crimes associated with that. They could also be a victim of stalking, vandalism, sexual assault, child abuse and so a lot of the time it’s not just one single crime.
“Our services are victim-led so it just depends on what they need,” Mutters said. “They decide what they need, what route they want to take to get that because sometimes there’s a lot of different options and we lay out the options and they choose and we support their decision.”
“It might be as simple as making a phone call, providing an address or it could be helping them fill out a protective order or helping them relocate,” Johns said.
“Explaining those processes, like the typical response time, how long it takes and those kinds of things so they aren’t caught off guard. The criminal justice system can run a little slow sometimes so we’re able to explain why it runs slowly, because they get tired of waiting and they want something done now, and explaining those things helps them in the process,” Mutters said.
The Guthrie Victims Advocate Program receives referrals from all law enforcement agencies in Logan County, the District Attorney’s office, counseling agencies, child advocacy centers, judges and more.
“It can be anywhere from making a phone call and getting them in contact with someone and that could be the end of it, or it might run for a year or two helping them with whatever is needed. Everyone is different and every case is different,” Johns said.
Currently, all domestic abuse offenses in Oklahoma are considered non-violent crimes but VOCA has their own guidelines on what domestic violence falls under and the victims advocates are able to take into consideration and help people who are emotionally, financially or verbally abused despite the fact that may differ from the statute definition of what domestic violence is.
Through the grant, the victims advocates were able to get two vehicles funded, so they do transportation for anything victimrelated. Counseling services, court, doctor’s appointments and anything the person may need.
If anybody has been isolated and without a vehicle, we can pick them up and take them to the courthouse and fill out a protective order for them. If relocation is needed, we can do that as well,” Johns said. Both Johns and Mutters emphasized that nobody should be afraid to call and that people can call or text any time and they’ll respond as fast as they can. Program information is confidential and it is their goal to protect the victim as much as possible. For anyone who needs assistance or has any questions, please call 405-282-3535 or email advocate@cityof guthrie.com
“We serve walk-ins, people who maybe found our brochure or a friend told them. We help anybody regardless of law enforcement involvement.”