By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
A new system will notify crime victims when the offenders in their cases are released from custody.
Kansas Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) allows crime victims to use a phone or the internet to search for information regarding the custody statuses of the offenders in their cases.
The system updates information every 15 minutes.
Victims can also register to receive phone, text or email notification when the offenders's custody statuses change. If you miss the notification, the service will try to notify you again. The service will also notify users if the offender is rearrested or transferred.
Jennifer Hecker, executive director of Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, said she anticipates the new service will be valuable for victims of domestic and sexual violence.
"Once the suspect bonds out of jail and is getting released, that is the time when the victims are most at risk," Hecker said.
In some jurisdictions, that can be a fairly short period of time — as short as two hours, which is not enough time for a victim to get to safety or make a safety plan, she said.
"We have gotten some feedback from some of the victims that we have worked with that they have been able to get that notification in time, and they could get to safety and create a safety plan," Hecker said. "That has been incredibly important for the victims we have worked for."
Kelsey Hogan, Options victims service coordinator, said victims using the shelter said the service has given them an added sense of security.
All but one county in Kansas that have county jails are participating in the program. In northwest Kansas, Rush, Gove, Logan and Cheyenne counties do not have county jails.
The service only includes county jails, and not Kansas Department of Corrections or offenders in federal custody.
Anyone can download the VINELink app for free on Apple and Android devices. You can also register for notifications online or call the Kansas VINE toll-free number at 866-574-8463.
You can register for notifications using your phone number and by setting up a PIN. Registration is confidential.
You can search for an offender using their name or their offender ID number. You do not have to be registered to search for offender status.
The service is available in English or Spanish.
The program is a collaboration of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Department of Labor, the Office of the Attorney General and the Kansas Sheriffs' Association. The service has not cost local sheriff's departments anything to implement.
The Kansas Attorney General's Office has established an advisory board to evaluate how VINE is working in Kansas and how to promote VINE throughout the state.