TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Police Department is looking to hire a full-time victim advocate and licensed clinical workers.
A victim advocate will accompany officers when they respond to crimes that are traumatic which could include sexual assaults, child abuse or homicides. The trained professional will work with victims of violent crimes or their families.
"The victim advocate to be kind of like the first person that can provide assistance above and beyond the police response so we come out, we investigate the crime, but then victims and witnesses are kind of left not really understanding the process or they suffer from trauma. They have a lot of questions about the court process," said Chief Mary O'Conner.
Police Chief Mary O'Conner said a victim advocate would answer questions and help provide critical services victims may need.
The police department is also looking to hire behavioral health clinicians. Licensed clinical workers will ride along with officers to provide crisis-oriented clinical services, including on-scene assessments of adults and juveniles. The clinician will assess the situation and treatment needs of the individual while helping officers to de-escalate the situation. The salary ranges from $75,000 to $113,000.
"Anyone that has care and is compassionate and obviously an understanding of what the criminal justice system's needs are...are going to be a good fit," added Chief O'Conner.
Both the victim advocate and behavior health clinician positions are posted on the City of Tampa website.
