Riley County Police hires victim advocate coordinator
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) – The Riley County Police Department announced Monday a brand new position on its team, dedicated to helping people who have been hurt by crime.
Melissa Mosher was hired in September as the department’s victim advocate coordinator. Her job is to work directly with people who’ve been through trauma like sexual assault or domestic violence.
Mosher helps victims of crime communicate with detectives to keep tabs on their case and to connect them with resources offered by community organizations.
The position is funded by a state grant that pays most of Mosher’s salary. Riley County Police Investigations Commander Tim Hegarty was one of the people who helped to create the position.
“We feel these things are very important, very critical, particularly the sexual assault reporting initiative that we have. Our main goal, as you’ll learn is to increase the number of sexual assault reports that we receive,” Hegarty said. “So we wanted to be able to devote somebody full time to be out in the community, and to bring this message to as many groups as possible
Because the position is so new and unique, the department isn’t exactly sure how it will work. They hope it convinces more people to come forward and report crimes and abuse to them through Mosher.
The department invites people to connect directly with Melissa to learn more about her new role. You can reach her at (785) 473-2390 or by email at mmosher@rileycountypolice.org.