PHOENIX — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is improving the way agents and first responders interact with crime victims and survivors.
The FBI launched the Trauma Notification Training program which updates the way the Victim Services Division notifies victims' families of a death.
The updated version highlights cultural competencies, challenges and best practices for trauma notification, according to the FBI.
More than 40,000 people have taken the training so far.
“Victim specialists are part of that and required to go through the training themselves alongside with the agents in order to do that. We canvass for volunteers that we thing would be a good fit. They go through the training and are making a commitment to be called upon should an incident arise," Maricela Savales, a victim specialist in the FBI Phoenix Division, said.
The FBI's trauma notification teams are deployed after a crisis or mass casualty event.
This week marks National Crime Victims' Rights Week.
“Victims are at the heart of the FBI's mission, and the Trauma Notification Training offers resources, support, and hope to anyone who needs it," FBI Director Christopher Wray said. "We are proud to announce the launch of this training during National Crime Victims' Rights Week and its expanded availability—a call to action for everyone to help crime victims."
The online training program is available to everyone online.
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