Bayfield County CARE Team Receives $4,000 Grant from DOJ

Grant Money to Help Fund Forensic Interview Training

BAYFIELD - The Wisconsin Department of Justice, Office of Crime Victim Services has awarded the Bayfield County Child Abuse Response Effort (CARE) Team a $4,000 grant to be used for Forensic Interview Training. The award is made possible through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) program.

Bureau of Justice Assistance grants support law enforcement, victim services, treatment, corrections, the courts and  technology & prevention initiatives that strengthen the nation's criminal justice system.

BJA grant funds can also be used to train law enforcement officers and social workers on how to conduct forensic interviews of children. Forensic interviews provide a number of advantages. They allow for the child to be interviewed once rather than repeatedly by numerous agencies. The interviews are taped and can be used in preliminary court proceedings, rather than having to have the child testify in a courtroom on multiple occasions.

"Working together streamlines the investigative process and reduces secondary trauma to child victims," said Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. "I am pleased the Wisconsin Department of Justice can support these important programs that protect child victims."

The Bayfield County Child Abuse Response Effort (CARE) was formed in 1997 and includes representatives from Human Services, area law enforcement, the Red Cliff Tribe, and the District Attorney's Office. The cooperation and mutual respect that these agencies have for each other provides for a system that runs smoothly and efficiently resulting in better outcomes to children and families.