OVW Grant for Trauma-Informed Law Enforcement Training on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking (Abby Honold Program)

The Demonstration Program on Trauma-Informed, Victim-Centered Training for Law Enforcement on Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking (Abby Honold Program) (Assistance Listing Number #16.058) supports efforts to improve law enforcement’s response to allegations of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking from the time of a victim’s initial report throughout the entire investigation, and to promote the efforts of law enforcement in improving the response to these crimes. The Abby Honold Program awards grants to law enforcement agencies to train officers to conduct trauma-informed and victim-centered investigations, with the goal of incorporating trauma-informed techniques designed to prevent re-traumatization of the victim and to increase communication between victims and law enforcement as well as stakeholders in a coordinated community response. This program’s purpose is also to evaluate the effectiveness of the training.

The Abby Honold Program encourages law enforcement agencies to integrate into their policies, trainings, and practices the eight principles set forth in the Department of Justice’s 2022 updated guidance on Improving Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence by Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias. If implemented, these principles would enhance victim safety, increase offender accountability, and promote agency trust within the surrounding community.

This program supports the training of law enforcement to conduct investigations more effectively. The training and technical assistance for this program is provided by OVW-funded national Training and Technical Assistance Providers.