A 2021 photo of several Michigan Victim Services Advocates. Image courtesy of the Michigan Sheriff's Association. 

LANSINF — In a June 27 Press Release, the Michigan State Police (MSP) announced a budget proposal by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to expand funding for the state’s victim services advocates. The Victim Services Program began in 2020, to serve those impacted by crimes such as domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking and more. In 2024, the program served 1,237 people. Whitmer’s proposal will invest $1.3 million into the program, adding eight new victim advocates.

“Victm services advocates can be a game-changer for Michiganders experiencing their worse moments,” Whitmer said in the release. “As a former prosecutor, I know ensuring victims are well served by the legal process and have the support and resources they need to recover is essential to keeping Michigan communities safe.”

Advocates provide a variety of services, including accompanying victims to court, arranging meetings with law enforcement and prosecutors, and helping create victim impact statements.

“The work of our victim services advocates begins the moment a trooper identifies a victim in a crime; the sooner the better,” Colonel James F. Grady II, director of the Michigan State Police, said in the release. “The benefit of these positions are two-fold: it gives victims the attention and understanding they deserve from an experienced and dedicated advocate while freeing up our troopers to focus their time and attention on completing the investigation.”

“The Victim Services Program has helped us to build partnerships with community organizations in support of victim advocacy, allowing us to continue the connection even after court proceedings cease, guiding victims toward recovery resources such as mental health or other treatment services and housing resources, if needed.”

“If the budget proposal is approved, the expansion would enable our program to extend services to ten additional counties bringing coverage to forty nine counties across the state,” said Lori Dougovito of the Michigan State Police’s (MSP) Communications and Outreach Division.