Support K9 Joins Crime Prevention Unit for DA

Support K9 Dinah Now Part of DA’S Crime Prevention Unit

RIVERSIDE – Riverside County has a new four-legged partner to help children receive the support they may need.

Support K9 Dinah is a 2 1/2-year-old standard poodle assigned to the Crime Prevention Unit of the DA’s Office. The DA’s CPU consists of Deputy District Attorneys as well as Victim Specialists from our Division of Victim Services.

K9 Dinah and her handler, Victim Services Supervisor Lauren Valles, will be busy attending community outreach events and going to schools for presentations.

“We’ve already determined that the children we see each day in our unit have already faced a great deal of adversity, which includes experiencing or witnessing violence in their home life,” said Melissa Donaldson, director of the Division of Victim Services and Programs. “When we get involved with these kids, we want to ensure that we respond with all the tools necessary in our toolbox.

“We all have a responsibility to help reduce the long-term impacts of toxic stress that our kids face,” Donaldson added. “The presence of support canines and Courthouse Facility Dogs in our office-wide programs can dramatically reduce the level of stress that youth feel and help build rapport. Sometimes, the kids we see have only been failed by adults. Our canine programs in the office seek to rebuild and repair those relationships to let children know that there are adults hat care about them.”

K9 Dinah and her handler will travel to schools across the county to provide support and outreach education services for children dealing with chronic absenteeism, truancy, behavioral issues, and more. K9 Dinah helps build rapport with children and families who need help most.

Our office strives to break through barriers and help our children stay in school, engage in positive decision-making, build confidence, and avoid engaging in delinquent behavior.

District Attorney Mike Hestrin’s top priority is effective public safety for those living in and visiting Riverside County, according to his office. He recognizes that to successfully achieve this goal, traditional crime suppression methods must be supplemented by effective and meaningful prevention and intervention strategies. This ideology led to the creation of the Crime Prevention Unit in 2015.

Along with the community-based organization SAFE Family Justice Centers, CPU enhances public safety, helps lower the recidivism rate, and prevents youth from becoming involved in the criminal justice system.