Victim Advocates Help Survivors Navigate Life After Crime

Gina Dean, one of four Pasco Sheriff's Office advocates, says her job is to empower victims, guiding them from the crime scene to the courtroom.

While deputies work to put together the pieces when a crime is committed, who helps the survivors put their own pieces back together? National Crime Victim’s Week (April 22-28) promotes victims’ rights and honors crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf, according to the Office of Justice Programs website. Among those are Pasco’s own victim advocates. Under the umbrella of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the agency’s four advocates work regular 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. days, then rotate weeklong 24/7 call duty, serving the sheriff’s office as well as the Florida Highway Patrol and the county’s police departments, with the exception of the New Port Richey Police Department, which has its own advocates on staff. With so …

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