February 24, 2022 - Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta announced at a webinar today two new training and technical assistance (TTA) resources from the Department of Justice Office on Violence 
Against Women (OVW): the National Violence Against Women Law Enforcement Training and Technical Assistance Consortium (LETTAC) and the Domestic Violence Resource for Increasing Safety and Connection (DV RISC).
“Reducing violent crime is a top priority for the Department of Justice, and combating domestic violence and sexual assault are important parts of the department’s comprehensive strategy to reduce violent crime,” said Associate Attorney General Gupta. “We cannot reduce, prevent or end violence without providing law enforcement agencies with the tools, training and resources they need. I am proud to introduce LETTAC and DV RISC, as new tools to help law enforcement agencies best respond to, investigate and ultimately prevent domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking by delivering innovative and evolving training and technical assistance to grantees and the field in a more efficient, effective manner.”
“Ensuring that law enforcement and jurisdictions have access to survivor-centered and trauma-informed resources is critical to address and prevent gender-based violence in our communities,” said Principal Deputy Director Allison Randall of OVW. “LETTAC and DV RISC not only fulfill this key role, but also expand training and technical assistance to underserved communities, including rural areas and Tribal lands, helping countless survivors access the justice they seek.”
LETTAC is a single-entry point for law enforcement agencies – including police and sheriffs’ offices as well as prosecutors, civilian staff and campus police – to request TTA in responding to, investigating and prosecuting domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking cases. Planning is also underway to ensure LETTAC resources address the intersection of human trafficking with domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking with a focus on Tribal grantees and potential grantees. LETTAC delivers TTA more efficiently, maximizing resources while minimizing duplication and, crucially, promoting collaboration. The LETTAC resource center includes a portal to request TTA; a clearinghouse of webinars, podcasts, publications and other tools; and a learning center to provide quality training for users. Ensuring inclusivity is central to LETTAC’s mission to providing TTA services and support for all justice practitioners, including those in underserved areas, culturally specific communities, and American Indian and Alaska Native jurisdictions. LETTAC will partner with AEquitas to provide training to prosecutors.
DV RISC is a national resource center to help communities prevent domestic violence homicide. The DV RISC website provides multidisciplinary tools and TTA to jurisdictions seeking a coordinated response. Users can obtain access to TTA providers and subject matter experts; on-site and virtual strategic planning assistance; culturally specific TTA providers to ensure diverse and inclusive community engagement; and peer-to-peer learning with communities that have implemented domestic violence homicide prevention strategies. Working in collaboration with Ujima and Esperanza United, DV RISC is led and informed by individuals who have been impacted by intimate partner and domestic violence homicides, ensuring that communities using DV RISC create prevention strategies that are informed by the voices of survivors.
Both LETTAC and DV RISC support the Justice Department’s comprehensive strategy for reducing violent crime.
About the Office on Violence Against Women
The Office on Violence Against Women provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.
Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta Delivers Remarks Via Webinar Announcing Two New Resources for Law Enforcement from Office on Violence Against Women
Washington, DC
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
Thank you, Allison – and good afternoon everyone, I am thrilled to be with you all virtually today for the public launch of two new resources from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW): the National Violence Against Women Law Enforcement Training and Technical Assistance Consortium – or, LETTAC for short – and the Domestic Violence Resource for Increasing Safety and Connection, or “DV RISC.”
Reducing violent crime is a top priority for the Department of Justice, and combating domestic violence and sexual assault are important parts of the department’s comprehensive strategy to reduce violent crime.
We cannot reduce, prevent or end violence without providing law enforcement agencies with the tools, training and resources they need.
This is why I am proud to introduce LETTAC, a new tool to help law enforcement agencies best respond to, investigate and ultimately prevent domestic violence and intimate partner violence by delivering innovative and evolving training and technical assistance to grantees and the field in a more efficient, effective manner.
LETTAC is grounded in a commitment to support law enforcement so they can better serve victims and survivors. It provides law enforcement – including police and sheriffs’ offices as well as prosecutors, civilian staff and campus police – with the ability to respond to intimate partner violence and domestic violence cases in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner.
Domestic violence and sexual assault calls can be challenging and dangerous, so setting law enforcement up for success before responding to these calls is critically important for the safety of officers and civilians. LETTAC will also provide support for underserved communities, including those in rural and tribal jurisdictions.
I am also honored to introduce DV RISC, a national resource center specifically designed to help jurisdictions prevent domestic violence homicides. Domestic violence homicide reduction must be comprehensive, equitable and meet the unique needs of law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.
DV RISC helps jurisdictions meet this challenge: it includes a wide variety of tools for multi-disciplinary teams interested in developing or enhancing their responses to domestic violence incidents in their community – for example, tools that can assist in evaluating risk and lethality. By providing assessment and customized support, DV RISC will help identify and implement strategies that work – strategies that save lives of our neighbors, friends and loved ones.
Importantly, DV RISC is led and informed by individuals who have been impacted by intimate partner violence and domestic violence homicides. Centering survivors’ voices is crucial for this work to be effective.
It is important to also recognize that this is the last full week of Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. Unfortunately, we know that too many young people witness and experience intimate partner violence in their homes and schools. That is why these resources are critical to keeping our homes and communities safer.
At the Department of Justice, we are committed to the safety of our communities. By transforming training and technical assistance – making it easier for law enforcement to obtain required training, maximizing resources, minimizing duplication and promoting collaboration – LETTAC supports the department’s effort to reduce violent crime, and OVW’s mission to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
I want to thank OVW’s Improving Criminal Justice Responses Program team, the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, the Center for Court Innovation, AEquitas, Ujima, and Esperanza United for their dedicated work and collaboration on these resources.
And thank you all for the work you do to help survivors and protect and serve your communities every day.
With that, I’ll turn it over to you, Darlene. Thanks again.
Source: DOJ Release
