Special Victims Unit

Mission of the Special Victims Unit

The mission of the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit is to coordinate a multi-disciplinary team approach to allegations of interpersonal violence to include physical and sexual assault of both adults and children, domestic violence and human trafficking.

The multi-disciplinary team is comprised of law enforcement, assistant prosecutors, victim advocates and medical personnel each committed to serve the most vulnerable victims of Gloucester County. The needs of the victim and offering support services is the priority of the Special Victims Unit.

Child Advocacy Center

The Special Victims Unit is located at 45-47 Cooper Street, Woodbury, New Jersey at our Child Advocacy Center of Gloucester County (CACGC). The CACGC was created with funds from the Division of Children and Families and meets the standards of the National Children's Alliance. The CACGC provides a safe environment where victims can share their stories.

Functions, Procedures, Legal Assistance

The Special Victims Unit also maintains the Gloucester County Child Abduction Response Team, which is a team of resources allocated if a child goes missing in Gloucester County. The Special Victims Unit oversees the report of all children missing under the age of 13 and under the age of 18 if certain circumstances are present.

The Special Victims Unit works both independently and in cooperation with the other agencies to include the local municipalities in the County, state and federal law enforcement agencies and the Division of Child Protection and Permanency. Many of the investigations in the Special Victims Unit include interviewing children under the age of 12. All of the members of the Special Victims Unit are trained forensic interviewers and have expertise in crimes against children.

The Special Victims Unit legal assistance is handled by a Senior Assistant Prosecutor and four Assistant Prosecutors. These Assistant Prosecutors prosecute all domestic violence, sexual assault and crimes against children cases from intake and grand jury presentment through trial. They also have received specialized training and possess an expertise in interpersonal violence.

Sexual Assault Response Team

The Special Victims Unit in their multi-disciplinary approach works jointly with the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) in response to allegations of sexual assault in both children and adults.

The Sexual Assault Response Team is comprised of a Forensic Nurse Examiner (FNE), a confidential sexual violence advocate and a law enforcement officer. A Forensic Nurse Examiner will perform a medical-forensic examination of the victim where they will obtain a medical history and information regarding the sexual assault. Examination and evidence collection is driven by the assault history.

The FNE will offer victims preventative treatment for sexually transmitted diseases and medication to prevent pregnancy. Follow up discharge instructions and information is provided and reviewed with each client.

Contacting SART

The Sexual Assault Response Team can be contacted by telephoning the following:

• Local Police Department or 911
• Emergency Room Departments
  • Inspira Medical Center (Mullica Hill)
    700 Mullica Hill Road
    Mullica Hill, NJ
    Phone: 856-508-1000
  • Inspira Medical Center (Woodbury)
    509 North Broad Street
    Woodbury, NJ
    Phone: 856-845-0100
  • Jefferson Washington Township Hospital
    435 Hurfville Cross Keys Road
    Washington Township, NJ
    Phone: 856-582-2500
• Service Empowering Rape Victims (SERV)
  Phone: 866-295-7378 and/or 856-964-7378
• Sexual Assault Response Team Coordinator/Forensic Nurse Coordinator
  Phone: 856-384-5555

Reporting

New Jersey is a mandatory reporting state, which means that any person with reasonable cause to believe that a child has been abused or neglected must report those concerns or findings immediately. This includes any employee of institutions or schools.

Failure to comply with New Jersey Title 9:6 is a disorderly persons offense. Under New Jersey Title 9:6, a child is considered anyone under the age of 18. If you believe a child is a victim of abuse or neglect, please contact 877-652-2873 (877-NJABUSE).

If you want to make a report of any crimes related to sexual assault, domestic violence or crimes against children you can contact your local municipality or you can reach us by email.