With only 11% of police agencies nationwide having in-house victim services programs, victims are often left to navigate the aftermath of crime on their own

The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Victims of Crime awarded a $600,000 cooperative agreement to the National Center for Victims of Crime, Inc. on October 1, 2025, under the Crime Victim Assistance/Discretionary Grants program (CFDA 16.582).

NCVC will develop and deploy a national, no-cost mobile application designed to connect law enforcement agencies with victim advocacy resources, victims' rights information, compensation assistance, and support services. The application will operate 24/7 with real-time updates and be built with safety and privacy protections at its core. This tool directly addresses the gap created by the fact that only 11 percent of police agencies nationwide maintain in-house victim services programs, leaving many crime survivors without immediate access to critical information and assistance.

The award funds technology infrastructure development and organizational capacity building to improve the effectiveness, accessibility, and coordination of law enforcement victim services. NCVC will make the application available to all U.S. law enforcement at no cost, removing barriers to access for survivors in communities where departments lack the capacity to develop their own victim service tools.

Performance is scheduled from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028, with work performed in Hyattsville, Maryland.

Lack of early access to information and services means survivors immediate and long-term needs can go unaddressed. This GAP is especially critical for communities where law enforcement may not have the capacity to develop their own tools. The national center for victims of crimes (NCVC)technology to support services for victims of crimeproject directly closes this longstanding GAP while removing barriers to access for survivors by equipping law enforcement with an easy-to-use resource. This project supports the use of technology to improve the overall effectiveness, accessibility, and coordination of law enforcement victim services by strengthening infrastructure, building organizational capacity, and enhancing service delivery systems. Improving law enforcement operations and their access to victim services, NCVC will create a national, no-cost mobile application available for US law enforcement to immediately connect victims with advocacy, victims' rights information, compensation assistance, support, and resources. The APP will be accessible 24/7, updated in real time, and designed with safety and privacy at its core.