During FY07 Mayor Martin Chavez and the
City Council unanimously
supported a proposal from the
Albuquerque Police Department in
conjunction with the Department
of Family and Community Services
and United Way of Central New
Mexico to open a Family
Advocacy Center in the heart of
downtown Albuquerque. The
vision: bring together law
enforcement agencies and
domestic violence professionals
under one roof. To complete the
mission, the City of Albuquerque
had to combine its efforts and
expertise to provide more
services, more safety, and more
justice to victims and their
children. The Albuquerque Family
Advocacy Center is poised to be
the first facility in this state
to house the Albuquerque Police
Department's entire Crimes
Against Children Unit, Sex
Crimes Unit, Domestic Violence/Familial Violence Unit,
Crisis, Outreach and Support
Team, members of the Bernalillo
County Sheriff's Office, members
of the NM State Police, staff
from the Bernalillo County
District Attorney's Office, and
numerous community nonprofit
domestic violence and sexual
assault agencies and county
agencies. For the first time in
the history of the City of
Albuquerque, the criminal
justice community will have the
opportunity to offer a wide
range of services and tap the
expertise of many professionals
from a single location.
The Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center serves adult and child victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and sexual abuse in the greater Albuquerque area. partnering with United Way of Central NM, the city will initially lease office space equipped with adequate medical amenities to co-locate police, emergency medical, caseworkers, and human services staff that deal with adult and child domestic and sexual abuse, all in one building. The goals of the Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center are to:
- Create a victim centered "one stop shop" to streamline communication among the various victim service agencies and the criminal justice system
- Reduce the re-victimization of victims by eliminating multiple interviews
- Provide a safe and comforting environment for victims seeking help
- Streamline the communication among the various agencies and systems
- Increase quality of evidence collected
- Increase prosecutions
- Decrease death rates
