The FBI joins our partners to mark National Crime Victims' Rights Week, commemorated April 21 to 27, 2024, and announces the launch of the Trauma Notification Training program.

This year’s theme is "How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors." The FBI’s Victim Services Division (VSD) is responsible with assisting victims of crimes every day and ensuring they are given the opportunity to receive the support and services they are entitled to under the law.

This week, the FBI is launching VSD’s Trauma Notification Training, an updated version of an online death notification training program created in 2015 for first responders. As of this March, the training has been taken over 40,000 times, with all trainees receiving a certificate upon completion.

The launch includes eight new videos to highlight cultural competencies, challenges, and best practices for trauma notification. Additionally, the training is now accessible to everyone, not just law enforcement professionals, and can be found at fbi.gov/TraumaNotification.

“Victims are at the heart of the FBI's mission, and the Trauma Notification Training offers resources, support, and hope to anyone who needs it," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. "We are proud to announce the launch of this training during National Crime Victims' Rights Week and its expanded availability—a call to action for everyone to help crime victims."

While the FBI has victim specialists in all 56 field offices, VSD trains Trauma Notification Teams as force multipliers. Trauma Notification Teams are a specially designated group available to assist with death and other traumatic notifications after a crisis or mass casualty event. Thirty FBI field offices have a Trauma Notification Team for a total of approximately 900 trained FBI special agents, task force officers, victim specialists, linguists, and employee assistance personnel. 

Since its creation in 2001, the FBI’s Victim Services Division has provided services like crisis intervention, emergency travel assistance, referrals for counseling, and housing to more than 2 million victims. In fiscal year 2023 alone, VSD provided over 250,000 services to victims and their families. To learn more about how the FBI helps victims, please visit fbi.gov/VictimServices.