Lafayette County Commissioners Harold Hoflander, Brad MacLaughlin and Dane Plymell signed a proclamation recognizing April 24-30, 2022, as “Crime Victims’ Rights Week.”

Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Hilbrenner says this “reaffirmed Lafayette County’s commitment to supporting and caring for victims of crime.”

According to the proclamation: Americans are the victims of more than 20 million crimes each year, affecting individuals and communities;

Victims who feel understood and supported are more likely to disclose their victimization, seek services and participate in the justice process;

A trauma-informed response to victims promotes healing and fosters strength in survivors;

Supporting and providing victims with knowledge of their rights and available services further strengthens their ability to recover by restoring a sense of self-empowerment;

Lafayette County is hereby dedicated to strengthening victims and survivors in the aftermath of crime, building resilience in our communities and our victim responders, and working for justice for all victims and survivors.

Now, therefore, we, Harold Hoflander, Dane Plymell, and Brad McLaughlin as Commissioners of Lafayette County, do hereby proclaim the week of April 24-30, 2022, as Crime Victims’ Rights Week;

And reaffirm Lafayette County’s commitment to creating a victim service and criminal justice response that assists all victims of crime during “Crime Victims’ Rights Week” and throughout the year; and to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for those community members, victim service providers and criminal justice professionals who are committed to improving our response to all victims of crime so that they may find relevant assistance, support, justice and peace.