District Attorney presents DAWG program to Carson City Board of Supervisors
At the Aug. 28 meeting of the Carson City Board Supervisors, the District Attorney’s Office presented its newest component to its Victim Witness Services unit.
DAWG, which is an acronym for District Attorney Witness Guide, was introduced by District Attorney Neil A. Rombardo, along with Subaru, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever. The dog is a volunteer, owned by a local attorney, and will have no costs to taxpayers, according to a news release.
“When I took office nearly eight years ago, the District Attorney’s Office did not have victim witness services. I created the program which provides critical services to victims of violent crimes," Rombardo said. "Our VWS program has been recognized by the American Red Cross and National Organization for Victim Assistance. Today, I am proud to introduce the final component to VWS, our DAWG program, which provides a K-9 to comfort and reassure victims of violent crime throughout the judicial process.”
The DA's office received positive feedback by the Board of Supervisors and will be presenting the program to the courts in the near future, according to the news release.
In presenting the DAWG program, Mark J. Krueger, Assistant District Attorney, stated: “Since early times, animals have been used to comfort persons with stress and trauma. Trials are a search for the truth. It makes sense then to have a dog in the courtroom to help comfort and reassure children and vulnerable victims, allowing them to open up about what happened to them in a stressful environment, such as in the courtroom, and testify about the trauma they endured."
Subaru will assist in the District Attorney’s Office by:
— Providing a calming effect to victims of crime, especially children and vulnerable victims, by accompanying them throughout the criminal process, including investigations, forensic interviews, pretrial meetings, and testimony in court.
— Accompanying vulnerable adults, victims of domestic battery and the elderly.
— Greeting children and parents in meeting with Victim Witness Services.
— Providing a sense of normalcy in juvenile proceedings.
— Attending drug court and mental health court.
— Providing emotional comfort to family members of homicide victims at trial and during sentencing.
— Greeting members of the public in the courthouse and more.
— Being there for all witnesses because courthouse dogs are for everyone.
“We are proud of our DAWG program and we are confident it will provide a much needed service to victims of violent crime,” said Krueger.
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