04/16/2026
Cumberland County Celebrates National Crime Victims’ Week, April 19-25, 2026
PORTLAND, Maine – The Portland Police Department and the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office will commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week by hosting a press conference and community gathering focused on resources available to victims of crime in southern Maine. The event will take place on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at City Hall in the State of Maine Room. This event is open exclusively to those working in victim services and members of the media.
We invite you to connect with advocates, hear from city leaders and listen as survivors share their experiences. Victim Advocates from both agencies have compiled a comprehensive resource guide to support survivors as they navigate complex systems following trauma. Join us as we share stories of resilience, provide vital resources, and foster a sense of unity within our community.
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is an opportunity to recognize the strength of those impacted by crime and to reaffirm our unwavering support for them,” said Portland Police Chief Mark Dubois. “We are committed to ensuring every victim is treated with compassion, respect, and dignity, and that they have a voice throughout the justice process. Supporting victims is not just part of our mission, it is at the heart of what we do.”
This year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week theme that was crafted by our advocates—Strength Through Community—recognizes that shared humanity drives vital connections to services, rights, and healing. Victim advocacy begins through empathy, connection and support. This annual observance challenges us to build a world where every connection created for a survivor holds the potential to heal. It asks us to ensure that resources are available to all survivors and that we show up for one another with empathy and intention.
Cumberland County District Attorney Jacqueline Sartoris stated, “No one asks to be the victim of a crime. Crime victims have no choice in becoming someone caught up in an act of criminal conduct or participating in a system they never wanted to get to know. The work our community partners do is to help empower victims to at least choose how they participate in the criminal legal system, to support them as they recover their equilibrium, and to remind them that their experience is not their fault. We are so grateful for the work our partners do in meeting victims where they are and lifting them up, every day.”
For more information, contact Suna Shaw, Victim Witness Advocate Coordinator at the Portland Police Department at 207-874-8519 or sunas@portlandmaine.gov. You may also contact Carly St. Pierre at the DA’s Office at 207-871-8384 or districtattorney@cumberlandcounty.org.
To learn more about how to support all victims of crime, visit the Office for Victims of Crime’s website at ovc.ojp.gov.
To report a crime in Maine, dial 911. If you are a survivor of domestic violence and need support, please contact Through These Doors (TTDs) helpline at 1-800-537-6066. If you are a survivor of sexual assault and need support, please contact Sexual Assault Services of Southern Maine (SARSSM) helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
