Sex Crimes Unit Deputy
Contact: Rebecca Helmer
E-mail: rhelmer@co.monroe.in.us
Location: Charlotte T. Zietlow Justice Center
301 N. College Ave., Room 211
Bloomington IN 47404 (Map)
Phone: 812-349-2670
Fax: 812-349-2725
Hours: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday – Friday
Closed all Federal Holidays
About the Sex Crimes Unit
The Office of the Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney has established a Sex Crimes Unit with a deputy prosecutor dedicated exclusively to handling sexual assault and child sex abuse cases. This specialized focus allows our office to invest in training and developing one person with the knowledge and experience to ensure that these challenging cases receive the full attention they deserve using best practices.
Especially in a community with a major university, the issue of sexual assault is a constant source of public concern. The Prosecutor’s Office continues to provide important community leadership to develop improved resources and partnerships to better address sex crimes. The Sex Crimes Deputy coordinates the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), acts as a liaison to the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program, and participates in the multidisciplinary team at Susie’s Place Child Advocacy Center. The Sex Crimes Deputy also works with community partners to prevent sexual assault and child sex abuse through public education initiatives. Learn more about these initiatives by following the links under the Prevention & Education tab.
Click here to see Sexual Assault related press releases and media.
History of the Sex Crimes Unit
In 2009, the Prosecutor’s Office received a federal grant to establish the position of a Sex Crimes Deputy to exclusively specialize in handling sex crimes cases. At the same time, the Prosecutor’s Office announced the creation of the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SANE). The following year in 2010, the Prosecutor’s Office worked with other community stakeholders to open the doors of Susie’s Place Child Advocacy Center in Bloomington.
In 2012 the federal grant came to an end, and further funding for the Sex Crimes Deputy position was unavailable. In response, the Prosecutor’s Office worked with the Board of Judges to consolidate sex crimes cases into Circuit Court II so that the former Sex Crimes Deputy position could continue to specialize in these cases. Unfortunately, the Sex Crimes Deputy was required to handle these cases alongside a general felony caseload, and was thus unable to provide the previous level of exclusive specialized attention. However, the office did receive a grant for an assistant to the sex crimes deputy. Although not the preferred best practice, the assistant position did help to ease the burden and provide a higher level of attention and focus.
Finally in 2016, the Prosecutor’s Office was successful in obtaining a new grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute for the Sex Crimes Deputy position to once again exclusively specialize in handling sexual assault and child sex abuse cases. Thanks to this grant, the office is once again able to provide needed community leadership through partnerships such as the SART, SANE and Susie’s Place multi-disciplinary team.
Employees, beneficiaries, and applicants for programs related to the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit who believe they have been discriminated for race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, and disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity can file a complaint: https://www.ojp.gov/program/civil-rights/filing-civil-rights-complaint Indiana CJIS Civil Rights Complaint Form 55420