The FBI Victim Outreach Support and Strategy Program supports victims in large-scale FBI cases
Each year, the FBI investigates thousands of crimes involving hundreds of thousands of victims.
Our Victim Services Division (VSD) informs and assists victims in navigating the aftermath of crime and the criminal justice process. One piece of that mission involves coordinated outreach to victims to support their needs, a specialty that falls under the FBI Victim Outreach Support and Strategy (VOSS) Program.
The VOSS team develops and implements strategies to communicate key notifications and resources to victims of crimes investigated by the FBI and to offer opportunities for victims to voice their experiences to law enforcement.
“Our bread and butter are connecting people—connecting victims to specialist teams and resources and then connecting investigative teams to victims and giving them a platform to speak,” said Benjamin Shannon, VOSS Program manager.
Established in 2017, the VOSS team specializes in outreach in cases with 150 or more victims. They have worked on cases including the Boston Marathon; the Lewiston, Maine, mass shooting; and the Maui wildfires.
Most often, the VOSS team develops “Seeking Victim Information” questionnaires that can be valuable to the investigation and essential to receiving accurate victim contact information. Although they are not meant to supplement interviews, these questionnaires can narrow down a large victim pool to victims most affected by the crime, act as a line of communication to victim specialists, and offer an opportunity in real-time for the FBI to warn victims about ongoing crimes. The VOSS team also creates accompanying web pages with resources, case updates, and other victim-specific support information on fbi.gov. Any of these materials are translated into a foreign language as needed.
By the time most cases reach the VOSS desk, the FBI investigative team may or may not know the specific population of people affected in a case. Cases where the victim population is unknown—called zero victim population cases—require the VOSS team to do a bit of their detective work: They need to distribute calls for victims to come forward to be able to offer any services and support.
One case involved a schoolteacher who had abused children for over 20 years in a specific town. Over time, those children may have moved to another city, state, or even another country. As they grew up, their names may have changed. Determining how to reach them in the present day is part of the VOSS team’s work.
As the VOSS team strategizes the communications channels that are most likely to reach certain demographics, whether nationally or internationally, they will tap partners across FBI divisions, other government agencies, and private organizations, such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and AARP, to help get the word out and publicize the questionnaires and resource pages. Tactics range from creating posts across social media platforms that potential victims may view to leveraging local and national news outlets.
For instance, during a case that involved reaching out to an Amish community that did not use technology, VOSS worked with a local newspaper in Pennsylvania to translate seeking victim information into Pennsylvania Dutch, so it was accessible to the community.
“Our biggest asset that we have is our liaison partners,” said Shannon.
Once someone fills out a Seeking Victim information questionnaire, the VOSS team will compile the data and turn it over to the investigative case team and victim specialists.
“We have victims carrying heavy trauma who need direct services immediately, so our victim specialists will step in as soon as possible,” said Shannon. “Even if victims may not need a service right away, the victim specialists are very good about making sure they know they have access to getting more help when they’re ready.”
It’s never too late to fill out a Seeking Victim Information questionnaire—even if the crime happened years ago, there is no statute of limitations for reporting your experience. You can choose if you want to receive further notifications regarding a case or you can decide to report your experience and then cease communications. Any information you provide could be valuable information used to protect and help others who were also victimized and further prevent additional people from getting hurt.
