Victims Rights

Beth, if you have located your items & verified the thief, the investigators will now have to take your case before the Grand Jury, which can take some time. I do know that the grand jury meets again in May, but if their docket is full, it may be the next GJ meeting before your case can be heard. Investigators are over loaded with so many cases, especially cases like yours, it does take time to get a result. Rest assured, the hard part is done since you've located & reported your stolen items, so you should get results in the end that you will be satisfied with.

quote:

Originally posted by beth:
I wasn't sure where to put this so I put it here.

Can anyone tell me where I can find information about victims rights in the state of Alabama? I would like to know what is going on with a recent break in at my home. When we have called the investigator he has been very vague and doesn't want to help at all, matter of fact he makes us feel like we are the criminals and has even accused us of not securing our house better to prevent the breakin in the first place. We were pretty sure we knew who broke in and we told him that. We went ourselves to pawn shops and took pictures of our missing property with the serial numbers and thankfully thats how or property was located and recovered. It was the person we thought it was that had sold our things. Now we want to know what they are going to do about it, however it has been like pulling teeth to find out. There is so much more to this story that I wish I could say on here but to tell you the truth we are afraid that the more we say the worse it will get. I have always believed that the police were there to serve and protect me but after this I have a different opinion of them.

I've got a solution.It sounds like you know who did it.Go to a pawnshop and by a cheap gun(two if you don't own one for protection.)Invite them over like nothing is wrong when they walk in your door,shoot the hell out of them.After you do,put gloves on.Proceed to put the other pistol in their hand.Call Police.Simple.

Alabama Attorney General's website:

Victim's Rights

Office of Victim Assistance [AGOVA]
Victim Assistance Hotline: 1-800-626-7676

Created on January 11,1988, the Attorney General's Office of Victim Assistance (AGOVA) was established to provide statewide assistance to victims of violent crime. The journey through the justice system can be traumatic, especially for victims of violent crime. AGOVA offers victims and victims' families a place they can turn to after their offender is sentenced.

AGOVA provides direct victim assistance as well as referrals to victims through its toll-free Hotline, listed above. Some of the services provided are listed below. If you click on any of these topics, you will find some of the information our office regularly provides to victims. Let us know if there is other information you would like to see on our website.

Beth, so sorry, I have heard of some other storys as yours and we have had kind of had the same problem ,but with only one Investigator. And one Sheriff Department and D.A. at the time . I understand he is no longer an Investigator with that Department Go to the Top of what ever the Department is if you have not allready , report in how you was treated , so if this person has others as you reported him , maybe he would be handled in a way he should be..Out the Door !! I do beleave for the most part we do have good Police and Sheriff Departments in our area . With a very hard Job and getting much harder with all the Druggies looking for ways to pay for their Habbits. If it is one of our County Eleleted Officals , and you can't get the help needed, Post what depaprtment is not doing the Job , Tax Payers deserve to Know ! Oh I am sure they are much more to your story as it was to ours, but no one hardly cares if it is not them ! So we are Labled as Trouble makers or Radicals untell enough come farward. Go to your D.A., ask him in why nothing is being done? not sure I can help, but PM me

Thank you SassyKim, I was going to Post that ! If she could not get the help after going to the Department head. "Justice For All_Even The Victims"

quote:

Originally posted by FloTownDown08:
Beth, if you have located your items & verified the thief, the investigators will now have to take your case before the Grand Jury, which can take some time. I do know that the grand jury meets again in May, but if their docket is full, it may be the next GJ meeting before your case can be heard. Investigators are over loaded with so many cases, especially cases like yours, it does take time to get a result. Rest assured, the hard part is done since you've located & reported your stolen items, so you should get results in the end that you will be satisfied with.

Like I said there are certain things I am afraid to say on here because we have been through so much and we don't want it to get worse. It has been brought before the GJ twice now. I don't know what happened the first time around but my husband testified and then we waited to hear....nothing...then we got another summons to testify again. So he did. That was 2 weeks ago and still nothing. I called the DA's office and he hasn't called me back yet. I so wish that I could say what I want on here about this case but so far the more we do the more we are punished and I feel like we are on trial and have to watch what we do and say.

Flow.. sounds like the investigator was not doing any thing, the victim should not have to go to Pawn shop looking for the things, I have heard other storys from very good hard working people , even after doing as Beth , nothing done , no Grand Jury if it is Not carried to the D.A. he knows nothing of it . Now I maybe wrong in this case. it may have gone to a D.A. , Beth should know if has .

quote:

Flow.. sounds like the investigator was not doing any thing, the victim should not have to go to Pawn shop looking for the things,

You are definitely right about that Bama.

Beth, now that you have stated that it's gone before the GJ on 2 occasions, it changes everything!
I'd be sitting in the waiting room at the DA's office until I got to speak to him!
Have you hired an attorney?
I know it would suck to have to be out of pocket, but you might could get reimbursed
for your troubles from the thief! That is, if he is convicted! Good Luck!

Ok sorry, to Flo and others, if gone to GJ twice .. something is happening, and yes it takes a lot of time even after a GJ hears it . Beth I am sure you have much more , sad to say in the Great USA we can't feel free to tell it like it is.

quote:

Originally posted by Bamafnatk:
Ok sorry, to Flo and others, if gone to GJ twice .. something is happening, and yes it takes a lot of time even after a GJ hears it . Beth I am sure you have much more , sad to say in the Great USA we can't feel free to tell it like it is.

Your Right About That Bama!

lol Ok we have all as Tax Payers hire Beth an Attorney ...when we Elected our D.A. He is all of our Attroney for our County working for US ! Most do a very good job in Most Cases. Not sure what County this maybe in .

quote:

Originally posted by Bamafnatk:
Ok sorry, to Flo and others, if gone to GJ twice .. something is happening, and yes it takes a lot of time even after a GJ hears it . Beth I am sure you have much more , sad to say in the Great USA we can't feel free to tell it like it is.

HEAR HEAR!!

At least you got a suspect. Without a suspect handed to them they won't even try to find out who did it.

quote:

Originally posted by TamaraKnight:
At least you got a suspect. Without a suspect handed to them they won't even try to find out who did it.

Many times when an officer takes a report of a theft, he/she will advise the victim to check local pawnshops for their items. One, the victim will be able to identify the item better than the officer or investigator. Two, the investigator/officer will check the pawnshops when time/call volume allows. Sometimes thefts with no evidence to point toward a subject/suspect are not going to be solved. Until the subject is caught on another case and the investigator gets a confession of all thefts done by the suspect.
Sometimes you will get an investigator that doesn't put forth an effort. But that can happen in any job. For the most part, investigators try to do the best job they can with what they are given.
If you have a problem with the investigation, contact the supervisor, and if it's not going the way you think it should, call a chief.

Don't hold your breath. In Colbert County, you can hand the prosecutor a signed confession from the perp and still not get the case adjudicated...nor your stolen property back.

quote:

Originally posted by imya_huckleberry:

quote:

Originally posted by TamaraKnight:
At least you got a suspect. Without a suspect handed to them they won't even try to find out who did it.

Many times when an officer takes a report of a theft, he/she will advise the victim to check local pawnshops for their items. One, the victim will be able to identify the item better than the officer or investigator. Two, the investigator/officer will check the pawnshops when time/call volume allows. Sometimes thefts with no evidence to point toward a subject/suspect are not going to be solved. Until the subject is caught on another case and the investigator gets a confession of all thefts done by the suspect.
Sometimes you will get an investigator that doesn't put forth an effort. But that can happen in any job. For the most part, investigators try to do the best job they can with what they are given.
If you have a problem with the investigation, contact the supervisor, and if it's not going the way you think it should, call a chief.

Imya, I haven't had that experience with the Florence police. I want to emphasize that all the officers I met and talked to were extremely cordial.

From the last week in September until mid-November, we had four separate "break-ins" in my apartment building--three of them involving me. The only one solved was the first one which did not involve me, and the only reason that it was solved was because a neighbor saw the theft of a bicycle, called the police, and the perp was so drunk he had only managed to get half a block while riding it.

I was told that unless there was a suspect, there would be no investigator assigned to the case. I did receive one call from the police department, but when I called back (no. was on caller ID), no one knew who called me.

The fourth incident involved some small items taken from my car. One was a bottle of "knock-off" cologne that had been removed from the package. While I couldn't be 100% certain, that told me in all probability someone wanted to drink it or it was a woman who wanted it for herself.

The very next night a woman and man were caught breaking into cars on the parkway. I called and asked the investigator to question them about my break-in, but he was very vague and said he would call back. I've never heard a word.

Someone I know with the department (very high up) told me there indeed were two white male suspects in the second event in which four cars were burglarized at my complex; however, I cannot get anyone to confirm it.

I understand how difficult things like these are, but for beth, judging from a robbery that involved some of my property about 15 years ago, even though the young man was convicted, I never rec'd any propery back or any monetary compensation.

The name of the group you're looking for is called VOCAL. They are located in Montgomery.But I think they are only for crimes such as murder,rape ect.