The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa will commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week from April 19 to 25, according to an April 23 announcement.
The annual event is dedicated to promoting victims’ rights and recognizing those who support crime victims. This year’s theme is Listen. Act. Advocate. Protect victims, serve communities. United States Attorney Leif Olson said, “This week gives us a chance to thank the people and organizations whose tireless work comforts victims of crime in Iowa, giving them support, life-saving services, and, most importantly, hope.”
Several events are planned across Iowa for the weeklong observance. These include a community awareness gathering at the Sioux City Convention Center with more than thirty agencies offering resources for survivors; the seventeenth annual “Go the Distance for Crime Victims” five-kilometer run at Thomas Park in Marion; and a commemoration by the Iowa Department of Corrections honoring deceased crime victims and those who supported them through the criminal justice system.
Olson also announced recipients of awards given to individuals or groups providing exceptional service to crime victims in Iowa. Sarah Harms, victim-witness coordinator of the Statewide Prosecution Section of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, received this year’s Award for Victim Services. The Law Enforcement Victim Services Award was presented to Deputy Erin Bennett from Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office; Special Agent Holly Witt from Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation; and Detective Christopher Wuebker from Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa advocates for approximately 1.3 million residents in its jurisdiction according to its official website. The office is part of the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website and employs around sixty staff members according to its official website. Its responsibilities include prosecuting federal crimes, managing civil litigation on behalf of the federal government, collecting federal debts according to its official website, as well as assisting victims and witnesses involved in federal cases.
With offices located in Cedar Rapids and Sioux City according to its official website, leadership includes more than twenty assistant U.S. attorneys along with three high-intensity drug trafficking area attorneys according to its official website. The district covers fifty-two counties over an area exceeding twenty-five thousand square miles in northern Iowa according to its official website.
