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Salient CRGT Launches Innovative Electronic Victim Notification System as a Smartphone AppFAIRFAX, Va., April 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Salient CRGT is proud to announce its latest app addition to its Voyager Platform product line; the Victim Notification Form (VNF) app. The need for effective communication between law enforcement agencies and victims is a paramount focus. Salient CRGT has developed a new smartphone app that provides secure, effective, and efficient communication between victims, law enforcement agencies, and victim advocacy groups. The VNF app was recently launched in Newberry, South Carolina as the nation's first use of the app and the benefits are already being recognized by both the Sheriff's department and the victims they are serving.
Almost immediately after being deployed, the VNF app made it possible for Newberry officials to directly communicate with a victim via text messages. The victim had been harassed by phone calls coming from unknown numbers and was not answering the calls, even ones coming from the Sheriff's department. The Sheriff's department was able to text a number to the victim so the victim could call them back and communicate with them about the specific case. This groundbreaking electronic victim notification system will change the way victims are communicated with and treated. Law enforcement use the system to gather pertinent contact information, share victim rights information, text and/or email the victim to notify them of continuing activity on the case such as the need to contact an investigator, arrest made in the case, bond hearings, and court details. Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said, "If there is some time between when the victim's form is done and the arrest, it can be difficult for law enforcement to get a copy of the form to the detention center and the courts. Instead of attempting to maintain this form in paper format for months, this system has a secure portalthrough which users in the criminal justice system can see and print the electronic form using the case number or other information." In addition to quickly getting the form to the victim, other positives about the system are that officers can complete the electronic form quicker than handwriting it, the information on the form is legible and the form is instantly sent to those who need to receive it. This eliminates the need to distribute carbon copies and there are no printing costs associated with the electronic form. The system allows the jail to quickly notify the victim to call the detention center for important information or to notify the victim about any release of the inmate or court hearings. This makes court function better and keeps deputies and officers attending to patrol and other law enforcement functions. Also, if the victim does not speak/read English fluently, the deputy can simply tap a button to change the form and have the victim's information sent to them in Spanish. "We are pleased about our partnership with Salient CRGT," said Foster. "They came to us and asked how they could assist us in better serving the public through technology. They listened to our plight with the paper process for victim forms and then allowed us to help them develop this product, which will likely become the standard for most law enforcement agencies." Salient CRGT took on this very important aspect of the overall Victim Advocacy process and worked with the Newberry County Sheriff's Office to make sure it was practical and effective. This will change the face of victim advocacy for any jurisdiction concerned with effective and timely communication associated with serving victims. Salient CRGT is now making this resource available to other law enforcement agencies and can be contacted at [email protected]. Sheriff Lee Foster sat down with News 19 last week to demonstrate the new system. Click here for the broadcast. About Salient CRGT Tweet: @Salient_CRGT Launches Innovative Electronic Victim Notification System as a Smartphone App. http://bit.ly/1MGSz5l
SOURCE Salient CRGT, Inc. 
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