District Attorney (19th Circuit*) Tony Lawrence issued the following statement.
On Wednesday, April 11, 2018, the Office of the District Attorney received a visit from Griffin, Pascagoula Police Department’s new therapy dog. Griffin is specially trained to offer comfort and emotional support to victims, both in the witness room and in the courtroom. Griffin was trained and certified as a service assistance dog for humans who suffered with PTSD and has worked in the field for many years comforting those who suffered from anxiety. Griffin is also a registered therapy dog through Pet Partners and is currently assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division at Pascagoula Police Department, where he comforts victims and witnesses.
District Attorney Tony Lawrence stated, “Our office makes it a priority to protect children in this community. When a child is a victim of a crime and has to testify in court, it can be a very traumatic event. The legislature recently passed a law that allows a therapy dog to accompany a child when they testify in the courtroom. I am proud that Pascagoula Police Department has recognized the need for therapy dogs and has the first one in this district. I am looking forward to working with Griffin and his handler in future cases and hope that he is the first of many therapy dogs that we can offer to help victims of crimes as they navigate the criminal justice system.”
*The 19th Circuit Court District is George, Green, and Jackson counties.
3 comments:
Wow! What a compassionate and empathetic policy!
Kudos all around!
The next AG?
Tony Lawrence is a good, decent, honorable man. This is consistent with Tony’s character.
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