Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office Creates Safe Space For Victims To Share Their Stories

The Wagoner County Sheriff's Office just finished building a special room for victims of crimes, where they can feel comfortable and safe while sharing their stories.

The room is designed to be a welcoming space for all victims.

Wagoner County investigators say they interview hundreds of victims every year who share the worst experiences of their lives.

Investigators had no private place to talk with them other than the same cold, poorly lit interrogation rooms where a suspect would be interviewed. The goal of this new room is to help make victims feel safe and empowered to share their stories.

"This is where we would have to interview our victims as well. As you can see it's very cold; I mean it's designed this way so when we bring people in here we can get straight to the point," said Investigator Jake Carey.

Carey says like many rural departments, this is all they have as a private and quiet place to interview victims of crimes. He realized they needed to make a change.

"This is what we are considering our soft interview room. This is where we can bring in victims and make them feel comfortable talking to us," he said. "We've got soft couches, pillows, even have a diffuser that's making it smell good in here."

Carey has interviewed countless victims over his career and says they are often scared, have a wall up and have a hard time telling their story.

"Almost every time we deal with a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault, they are closed in, they are quiet, they are reserved, and a lot of that is because every bit of control they've had has been stripped from them. They don't feel like they control their lives, their destiny," he said.

Carey says law enforcement's job is to keep people safe, but they cannot help if they don't know about something.

"We want to hear them, we want them to feel like they are being heard, and if it can be something as simple as putting them on a couch with a cushion and a blanket and some coffee, some snacks, whatever to where they are able to relax. If that brings in more people, then it makes everything we are doing worth it."

The sheriff's office partners with the nonprofit Help in Crisis to help victims, and they plan to use this room together.

Carey says the Wagoner community donated almost everything to build the space.

"The community sees that the goal is to help these victims. To provide an option for these victims. And I think in some way the community feels like they are helping to accomplish that goal when they do stuff like that," he said.