By KRWG News
Las Cruces – Dona Ana County Sheriff Todd Garrison has announced that his department will phase out its Victims' Assistance Unit by the end of next month.
The three affected employees in the Victims Assistance Unit are being encouraged to apply for other open positions within the department .or elsewhere in Dona Ana County.
Garrison says he believes there are enough non-profit agencies serving the community to warrant the dissolution of the unit.
He says officers in the field will be trained to determine which agency is best suited for the victim of any given circumstance, and how to proceed from that point forward.
He says volunteers who assist his paid staff have indicated a willingness to shift their services and time contributions to non-profit agencies.
Garrison says he and his senior staff will carefully monitor the transition and if the need arises to resurrect the Victims' Assistance Unit, he retains that option.