Lewin explains roles with SART, victim witness coordinator

     Brandi Lewin holds a passion for victims of crimes and first responders.

     This brought her to the roles of Victim Witness Coordinator and SART (Sexual Assault Response Team) Coordinator, serving Jones, Buchanan, Clayton, Benton, and Delaware counties.

     Lewin spent five years working in the mental health field.

     “It really opened my eyes to the needs of individuals experiencing trauma,” she reflected.

     Following that, she worked with victim services for six years.

     “Through those experiences, I was fortunate to receive the proper training in crisis work, along with how to navigate the system to best service all crime victims,” she said.

     Both of Lewin’s roles in SART and victim witness coordinator are quite different.

     With SART, Lewin works with law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and medical professionals from throughout her five-county region. She said those in such roles, as well as such experts as SANEs (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) help “to ensure a victim-centered response is provided to all sexual assault survivors.”

     Lewin also offers training opportunities and conferences to first responders about sex crimes, and provides technical assistance.

     She hosts monthly meetings with these teams of professionals to review victim cases throughout the five counties.

     “It’s really a team effort in each county I support,” she offered. “We have some incredible partners who are on the ground doing the work. I’m really a support who ensures we are all being accountable to each other and to survivors.”

     Lewin said all of those involved in SART are important pieces of the puzzle.

     “If we do not have support and accountability from each discipline, we are failing the victims,” she explained.

     She used the analogy of baking a cake to emphasize her point… “There are key ingredients that make it possible to bake that cake successfully. Just as most cakes need flour, eggs, and sugar, a response team also requires key ingredients. When one ingredient is missing, our team risks failure and we cannot fail crime victims.”

     Earlier this year, Jones County Sheriff Greg Graver and County Attorney Kristofer Lyons spoke to the Jones County Supervisors about the importance of Lewin’s two roles within the region. Both Graver and Lyons stressed the need for such a role when it comes to working with victims of crimes.

     “I work with a variety of cases,” noted Lewin, “adults and juveniles. Victimization does not discriminate based on age or gender.”

     She works with victims who have experienced such crimes as theft, sexual assault, domestic violence, and homicide.

     “I’m positioned to provide support through the system to any victim of a crime,” she added.

     Due to her professional background, Lewin said when this multi-county position became available, she knew where she wanted to be.

     With the severity, at times, of the crimes, Lewin makes sure to have a balanced life between work and her personal time, stepping away when needed.

     “Some days are more difficult than others because you do hear and see things that are disturbing,” she said. “But getting that downtime when you have personal time helps to balance it out.

     “None of us are any good to anyone if we cannot be mentally healthy to take on our next task and be emotionally available for a crime victim,” continued Lewin.

     While she works across five counties, in Jones and Clayton, Lewin serves in the county attorney offices. In Delaware County, she’s positioned in the sheriff’s office within a “soft interview room” also utilized by law enforcement to meet with victims of crimes.

     In Buchanan and Benton counties, she floats between several different county departments.

     “All counties have access to reach me at any time,” she offered. “I share my time and base the needs of each county by the needs of the caseloads. Fortunately, much of what I do can be done remotely, outside of meeting one-on-one with crime victims.”