A Pella Police officer received recognition for his efforts in advocating for victims when investigating crimes. Detective Justin Bailey received a Crime Victim Services award from Ed Cummings and Hailey Brown with Crisis Intervention Services. Brown says having officers who advocate and care for victims is a critical in finding justice.

“A lot of officers–and this is not their fault, they’ve just been hardwired to ask questions, interrogate, catch the bad guy. But a lot of the people they are talking with are survivors, and they’re victims and they need a different type of care and questioning and Detective Bailey especially does a great job with trauma-informed questions. That is when he’s asking questions, he’s being aware of what they’ve been through and how that affects the brain.”

Pella Police Chief Robert Bokinsky says the Pella Police Department has high regard for this recognition, as it speaks to their mission of protecting the innocent and preserving the rights of victims of crime in a compassionate way.

“It’s nice to be honored, it’s nice to be recognized, but we have to remember that we don’t do what we do in law enforcement and Detective Bailey doesn’t do what he does as an investigator for the awards, for the recognition. We have to always remember that there’s a victim involved and we do these things for the victims of crime. We try to give them the best service we possibly can, and in doing that it means that were seriously and aggressively in pursuit of justice–we want to get to the bottom of the truth in all things and we especially don’t want to re-victimize a victim the second time, and you can do that through insensitivity, through not taking a complaint as seriously as you should, and what we try to do is remember that when we have a victim of a crime that could potentially be the worst thing that ever happens to that person in their lifetime.”

Bailey says he aims to do all he can to make sure he is considerate of the needs of victims as he investigates violent crimes.

“With any investigation–specifically crimes of this nature, sex assault, it’s extremely important to provide the victim with the things they need early on in the investigation,” he says. “It’s important to also remember very few of these crimes are reported. The statistics show one out of five sex assaults are actually reported, which means the victims are not getting what they need.”

Bailey received a plaque from Crisis Intervention Services, who advocate for victims throughout south central Iowa.