Crime victims’ honored Saturday by Jerry Good Victims’ Rights Awareness Project

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The Maricopa Police Department held the first Jerry Good Victims’ Rights Awareness Project Saturday at First Baptist Church to honor crime victims and those who advocate for them.

The event was part of the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in conjunction with the Pinal County Attorney’s Office, which is held every April.

“It’s a celebration of those victims who have been through the system and have achieved so much and have been an inspiration to us to continue to move forward,” said Rosie Kuzmic, MPD’s victim assistance program coordinator.

She said she hoped the event would motivate people to continue helping struggling victims. Plans are to make the event annual.

Empty shoes were donated and surrounded the premises to show support for victims and survivors.

“The shoes are to represent, not only victims who can’t be with us here today, but those who have been through the struggle and the system and have survived,” Kuzmic said.

Speakers at the event included Police Chief Steve Stahl, Sgt. Hal Koozer, County Attorney Lando Voyles, Victims’ Rights Awareness Project volunteer Jim DeVenezia and Pinal County Attorney’s Family Advocacy Center Director Jerry Smith.

Nicole, 26, whose last name is not given for privacy reasons, spoke about her lifelong struggle with abuse and how she got help.

“I was feeling so ashamed, dirty, guilty about things that happened to me that I had no control over,” she said. “I didn’t know why they happened to me.”

Nicole said she was abused by a family member, sexually assaulted at school and was in an abusive relationship that resulted in three children, but she eventually found the strength to walk away and get help.

“Coming to realize that I am not alone and there are so many other people out there that we don’t even know about that fight for us because of their passion to help others was another source of strength,” she said.

She is now a Victims’ Rights Awareness Project volunteer because she said knowing there are people out there who want to help is how she manages to carry on with her life and can pass that on to others who are struggling.

Kuzmic said she refers to Nicole as a survivor rather than a victim.

“I feel very blessed to be part of a city that has a proactive and progressive police department that recognizes the need for victims’ services,” Kuzmic said.