The department of the prosecuting attorney (PAT), city and county of honolulu, will implement the expanding victim witness kokua services division (V/WKS) victim services through the use of an…

The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Victims of Crime awarded a $600,000 cooperative agreement to the City & County of Honolulu on October 1, 2025, under the Crime Victim Assistance/Discretionary Grants program (CFDA 16.582) to develop and deploy an AI-assisted call agent for the Prosecuting Attorney's Victim Witness Kokua Services Division intake unit.

The recipient will screen incoming calls, provide answers to pre-programmed questions, route complex matters to victim services staff, and log victim information for follow-ups. Project activities include research and consultation, vendor solicitation, tool development, staff training for handoff, deployment, and ongoing improvement and maintenance. The AI tool is designed to expand routine intake services while routing crisis intervention, case updates, and services requiring emotional support to human staff. Expected outcomes include daily deployment in the intake unit to expand victim services capacity.

Performance occurs in Honolulu, Hawaii with a period of performance through September 30, 2028.

The department of the prosecuting attorney (PAT), city and county of honolulu, will implement the expanding victim witness kokua services division (V/WKS) victim services through the use of an AI-assisted call agentproject to develop and deploy an artificially intelligent (AI)-assisted call agent to assist in the routine functions of V/WKS intake unit by screening calls, providing answers to pre-programmed questions, routing calls to victim services staff as necessary, and logging victim information for follow-UPS. While this project recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) can help bridge gaps in traditional support systems, IT is not intended to replace them. More complex victim advocacy and services, such as crisis intervention, specific case updates, and those that require emotional support, will still be referred to victim services staff. Project activities include research and consultation; solicitation of a vendor; development of the tool; training of the staff for handoff; deployment of the tool; and ongoing improvement and maintenance. Expected project outcomes include the use of the deployed tool in the daily functions of the intake unit to expand services to victims of crime.