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~~i~e of the ~ro~e~uting ~ttorne~ <br />County-City Building <br />227 West Jefferson Blvd., 10`" Floor <br />South Bend, IN 46601 <br />(574) 235-9544 Fax (574) 235-9761 <br />January 22, 2009 <br />South Bend Common Council <br />County-City Building, 4th Floor <br />227 West Jefferson Boulevard <br />South Bend, Indiana 46601 <br />Prosecuting Attorney <br />60"' Judicial Circuit <br />St. Joseph County <br />Indiana <br />Re: South Bend Ordinance proposing appropriation of funding for Family <br />Violence/Special Victims Unit rental payment <br />Dear Council Members: <br />The activities of the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office directly impact public safety <br />and the welfare of our community, and as such affect the quality of life for citizens in all <br />parts of the County, including your constituents in the City of South Bend. <br />Throughout my administration, Ihave made efforts to improve the efficiency and <br />effectiveness of complex investigations, including those of rape/sexual assaults, domestic <br />violence, and child abuse. To that end, I worked with the South Bend, St. Joseph County, <br />and Mishawaka Police Departments to reorganize the "STOP Unit" into the Family <br />Violence/Special Victims Unit. The FV/SVU includes 25 county/city employees: <br />0 5 deputy prosecuting attorneys, <br />0 2 paralegals, <br />0 3 clerical support staff, <br />0 2 victim advocates, <br />0 2 prosecutor's investigators, and <br />0 11 police detectives from South Bend, St. Joseph County, and Mishawaka Police <br />Departments. <br />Qf the eleven police dPtec±ivPs assigned to t~:e FV/SVU, se~~en aze ?~signe3 by the South <br />Bend Police Department. In 2007, the FV/SW investigated a total of 3,676 cases, of <br />which 2,354, or 64%, originated in the city of South Bend. The statistics for 2008 are <br />still being compiled; however, the percentage of cases originating in South Bend is <br />consistent with previous years. <br />The FV/SVU is funded by a grant through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, <br />prosecutor's diversion/deferral user fees, and taxpayer dollars. It is important to note that <br />consolidating these investigations into one Unit was done without increased cost to <br />county or city taxpayers. <br />