New service officer guides victims through court process

DOUBLE SPRINGS - Have you ever had to go to court for some reason? Do you remember the feeling of not knowing how the process works or even where to go?
That feeling is being eliminated with a new victims service officer for the 25th Judicial Circuit of Alabama in Marion and Winston counties.
Leslie Smith, a 2009 graduate of Addison High School, is now working with the other VSO officers,  Tammy Miller and Gina Holloway, and will provide comfort, care and calm to victims of crimes.
“We had so many cases, there was a need to bring another person in,” Smith said. “I go back and forth between Winston and Marion, though I’m here in Winston more often.”
Smith was hired through the Alabama Office of Prosecution Services under District Attorney Scott Slatton.  The position is paid for as part of a $6.3 million grant through the Victim’s Crime Act.
A VSO helps victims by assisting in filling out crime-related forms, but the officer is much more involved than that, according to Smith.