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Gloria Reyes of the Fort Bend County District Attorneys Office was named the recipient of the Carol Rees Award Wednesday, Oct. 16, an honor given to the victim service provider who advocates and exemplifies commitment to crime victims in Fort Bend County. The honor was presented by Rees herself at the CVRTs annual Fall Workshop for crime victim advocates and law enforcement officers in the region. The workshop was sponsored by the City of Stafford and held in the Stafford Centre. Reyes is an administrative secretary in the Family Violence, Protective Order Division of the DAs Office. A long-time member of CVRT, Reyes has been in her position with the DAs Office for almost 11 years. She assists victims of domestic violence to initiate the process of obtaining a protective order when applicable. That process includes preliminary screening, presenting the information to the Assistant District Attorney and if accepted, filing with the District Clerks Office, setting up court dates and accompanying the victim to court. Reyes is in constant interaction with the public as well as other victim advocates, police agencies and organizations. Carol Rees spent 19 years fighting for the rights of crime victims in Rosenberg and Fort Bend and Harris counties during her career. Her victim advocacy career began shortly after a family member was injured by a drunk driver. In 1983, she founded the Fort Bend County MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Chapter. She also worked with a victims group in Harris County. Rees began volunteering with the Rosenberg Police Department and then worked for the department for 17 years as its Victims Rights Coordinator. In addition, Rees served the department as Public Information Officer for five years before retiring in 2007. The CVRT promotes networking between agencies and organizations so that ideas are exchanged and resolutions are put into action. The organizations goal is to put the victim first in initial response, handling and disposition of the criminal case, and the transition from Victim to Survivor. Each fall, the organization hosts a workshop/training in Stafford free to law enforcement members and victim advocates. More than 170 professionals attended the 2013 workshop. Gloria Reyes, left, of the Fort Bend County District Attorneys Office, was named the winner of the annual Carol Rees Award in 2013. The award is presented to a crime victim advocate for their efforts in helping crime victims in Fort Bend County. Participating in the presentation was the awards namesake, Carol Rees, center, and Assistant District Attorney Chad Bridges, right, who was the emcee of the workshop. Just a few of the Crime Victim Response Team members at the annual Fall Workshop Wednesday were, from left, Daisy Reyes, Fort Bend County District Attorneys Office; Amy Cummins, Sugar Land Police Department and CVRT President; Gloria Reyes, Fort Bend County District Attorneys Office; Irene Rios, Victim Liaison for the Rosenberg Police Department; and Raquel Porras, Victim Liaison for the Stafford Police Department. |
