The Special Victims Investigation Team (S.V.I.T.) was created to investigate cases of child abuse, sexual assault, elder abuse, domestic violence and those involving special needs victims. The Team consists of Westchester County Police detectives, specialized workers from the sex abuse units of Child Protective Services (DSS) and victim advocates from Victims Assistance Services.
The guiding principle behind the team concept is to coordinate investigative efforts for the purposes of minimizing trauma t these special victims and achieving a more thorough, efficient and, above all, effective investigation. To those ends, detectives and CPS workers respond together, where appropriate, to reports of sexual abuse and initiate the investigation jointly with the local police department. A main focus of the S.V.I.T. is to intervene with the victims and their families at the earliest possible time and to provide referrals for any needed services. Therefore, the victim advocates, working closely with CPS and police, provide immediate access to a range of services for the victims and their families.
Additionally, in furtherance of the team concept, the S.V.I.T. works closely with the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, the Westchester County Attorney's Office, and the Westchester Medical Center's Child Advocacy Center in Valhalla. The medical programs provide expert medical evaluation and diagnosis of sexually and physically abused children. On adult sexual assault cases, the Team detectives often work with the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program and rape crisis counselors, which are services run by Victims Assistance Services.
To add to the comfort of these special victims and to facilitate investigations, the Team office is equipped with a state of the art interview room, a closed circuit camera and a separate observation room with a viewing monitor. The interview room is available for use by local police departments when dealing with special victims, whether or not the S.V.I.T. is involved in investigation of the case.
Some recent cases successfully investigated by the S.V.I.T. include that of a bus driver in Cortlandt who sexually abused a 14-year old girl on a school bus, wherein the team worked jointly with the New York State Police; that of a teacher who raped a high school student, wherein the Team worked closely with the Lewisboro Police Department; and a tennis coach who raped a student, wherein the Team worked jointly with the Bronxville Police Department. all the cases resulted in arrests.
Team detective assistance can be accessed by calling 914-995-6842 during working hours. If unable to make a connection to a live person or after business hours or on weekends, call the County Police at 914-864-7890 to access a police member of the Team. Child Protective Services investigations are initiated by calling the New York State Central Register if abuse of neglect is suspected. Members of the public can call 1-800-342-3720 if they suspect that a child is being abused or neglected by a parent or person charted with the responsibility of caring for the child.