Since 2005, the The BPD Homicide Unit has included a Family Resource Officer, who serves as a liaison between the Unit and the grieving families of a homicide victim. This Globe profiles that effort, and the members who staff the Unit: Police Officer Neva Grice and social worker Aliza Rodriguez.
\”Boston is one of the few major police departments in the country with trained victim advocates in the homicide unit, department officials and outside specialists in criminal justice said yesterday. In most cities, survivors are assisted by staff from the district attorney\’s office, usually much later in the case. …
In addition, the advocates aim to stem angry relatives\’ impulse for retaliatory violence by referring survivors to social service agencies where they can find grief counseling and by offering to listen themselves, on occasion calling families for face-to-face talks.\” From the Boston Globe.