The rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program (rural program) is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 12341

The County of Elko, Nevada was awarded a $700,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589). The 36-month grant will enable the County of Elko and its partners - the Nevada Institute of Forensic Nursing, Elko County Sheriff's Office, Eureka County Sheriff's Office, Lander County Sheriff's Office, and White Pine County Sheriff's Office - to implement the FY24 OVW Rural Access project. Key activities include: 1) establishing clear communication between the counties to support sexual assault case investigations, county-specific needs, and data collection; 2) providing mobile forensic exams and interviews for cases in Eureka, Lander, and White Pine Counties; and 3) delivering sexual assault investigative training to all law enforcement entities in the four-county service area. This project aims to enhance the criminal justice response to sexual assault crimes and improve services for underserved, rural populations.

Rural program funds are used to support programs that: 1) identify, assess, and appropriately respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities by encouraging collaboration among victim service providers, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, other criminal justice service providers, human and community service providers, educational institutions, and health care providers; 2) establish and expand victim services in rural communities to child, youth, and adult victims; 3) increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities, by (a) dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; and (B) creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent these crimes; and 4) develop, expand, implement, and improve the quality of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Grantees must use at least one of the following strategies in implementing their projects: 1) implement, expand, and establish cooperative efforts and projects among law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other related parties to investigate and prosecute incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; 2) provide treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and other long-term and short-term victim and population specific services to adult and minor victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities; 3) work in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies directed toward such issues; 4) develop, enlarge, or strengthen programs addressing sexual assault; and 5) develop programs and strategies that focus on the specific needs of victims of who reside in remote rural and geographically isolated areas. Through this new OVW rural program project, county of elko, which operates the great basin childrens advocacy center (GBCAC), in partnership with nevada institute of forensic nursing (NVIFN), elko county sheriffs office, eureka county sheriffs office, lander county sheriffs office, and white pine county sheriffs office, will implement FY24 OVW rural access. This law enforcement project addresses the following purpose area: 2 for elko, eureka, lander, and white pine counties in nevada. Specific activities will include: 1) establishing clear, constant, and reliable communication between elko, eureka, lander, and white pine counties to support sexual assault case investigations, county-specific needs, and data collection; 2) providing mobile forensic exams and interviews for GBCAC-related cases in eureka, lander, and white pine counties; and 3) providing sexual assault investigative training to all law enforcement entities within the four-county service area. The project will address priority area 2: prevent and end sexual assault by improving the criminal justice response to sexual assault crimes, targeting underserved, rural populations. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.