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COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
K9 Courtroom Advocates
GA-CERT K9 Courtroom Advocates Program
At its 2021 Midyear Meeting, the American Bar Association House of Delegates approved Resolution 101A, which urged all jurisdictions to permit a specially trained canine to accompany an anxious or traumatized individual who is testifying in court¹.
Georgia Community Emergency Response Team (GA-CERT K9) has committed itself to being an asset to its community by training and certifying dogs through its K9 Courtroom Advocates Program. A K9 Courtroom Advocate is a dog that accompanies a witness who is testifying in court proceedings. Credentialed, vaccinated, and insured, all of our K9 Courtroom Advocates are graduates of our assistance dog program. Such dogs assist crime victims, witnesses and others during the investigation and prosecution of crimes, as well as during other legal proceedings. K9 Courtroom Advocates also provide assistance to Drug Court and Mental Health Court participants during their recovery from drugs, alcohol, mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Our K9 Courtroom Advocates Duties
01
Greeting children and parents who have come into a child advocacy center to initiate investigation of child sexual abuse.
02
Accompanying a child (age 4 – 17) during a forensic interview, where the child explains to a trained interviewer the details of an incident of sexual abuse or a crime of violence.
03
Accompanying a child during the various phases of the investigation and prosecution of crime, including a defense interview, a competency hearing, and a courtroom trial.
04
Greeting members of the public throughout the courthouse.
05
Attending drug court, mental health court, and other restorative justice proceedings to help calm people with disabilities and individuals in drug withdrawal.
06
Accompanying vulnerable adult crime victims, including rape victims, developmentally delayed adults, and the elderly during court proceedings.
07
Providing emotional comfort to family members of homicide victims during the trial and sentencing of the offender.
08
Providing a sense of normalcy during juvenile and family court proceedings.
Brittany's Buddies
As part of the GA-CERT K9 Animal-assisted Intervention Program, our supporting literacy program, Brittany’s Buddies, gives children and young people the opportunity to:
Gain confidence
Develop and maintain focus
Develop a positive foundation for life-long learning
Improve reading skills by reading aloud to one of Brittany’s Buddies
We visit schools, community centers, churches, juvenile detention centers, foster homes and more to help children expand their vocabularies, and improve reading comprehension.
