Service Exchange Agreement - SBPD – CASIE Center & St. Joseph Co. SVU

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The Special Victims Unit of the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Officer investigates and prosecutes all criminal offenses involving domestic violence, all child abuse criminal offenses, and all sexual assault criminal offenses which are referred to it by local police agencies. In 1997. a S.T.O.P. Unit was started in St. Joseph County, Indiana under the authority of the St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney. This S.T.O.P. Unit was the first Domestic Violence Unit within the State of Indiana. (S.T.O.P. stands for "Services that Offer Protection.") The S.T.O.P. Unit was created to provide a multijurisdictional response to the issue of domestic violence by area law enforcement agencies, the Prosecutor's Office, and social service agencies. The S.T.O.P. Unit originally specialized in investigating cases of 'violence against women' throughout St. Joseph County but in January, 2003, the unit was designated as the "Family Violence and Special Victims Unit" to reflect the unit's expanded caseload which included domestic violence, child abuse, as well as sex offenses which occurred in the county. In 2007 the name was changed to the Special Victims Unit to avoid confusion with the Family Justice Center of St. Joseph County. The Special Victims Unit is a cooperative co -location of the resources of the Prosecuting Attorney of St. Joseph County, the Sheriff of St. Joseph County, the South Bend Police Department and the Mishawaka Police Department. The objective of the unit is to provide professional, compassionate, and competent assistance to victims and their families by having investigators, prosecutors, and advocates who are trained and dedicated to working with these types of cases. The Special Victims Unit is responsible for conducting criminal investigations in all cases of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault which occur within the Cities of South Bend and Mishawaka and unincorporated St. Joseph County. It also investigates these cases for otherjurisdictions as requested. The child abuse cases investigated by the Special Victims Unit will be handled in a team concept with principal partners being law enforcement, Department of Child Service, Casie Center, and deputy prosecuting attorneys. To accomplish its objective of the Special Victims Unit, the South Bend Police Department, the St. Joseph County Police Department, and the Mishawaka Police Department provide sworn police officers for a period of assignment of not less than two