A piercing knock at the front door in the early hours of the cold morning wakes you from a restful slumber. You see flashing red and blue lights outside and open the door to a police officer and someone dressed in a blue jacket with the letters VSU emblazoned on it. The officer informs you the person you love most in the world is gone. An overwhelming black hole sucks in your stomach and heart, your mind swirls. You no longer hear what the officer is saying, you fall into a surreal world where nothing makes sense.

This is the stuff of nightmares for people the world over but it’s sadly a horrific reality for many in our community. Mackenzie Casurella is a masters student at the University of Lethbridge who has experienced loss like this in her young life, tragically losing her partner in a motor vehicle accident eight years ago. Already on the path to higher learning at the time of her loss, Casurella pursued a career in psychology, a vocation that will allow her to help others through difficult times. Supporting and assisting people is also something the Lethbridge Victim Services Unit does for anyone that has been affected by crime.

“It’s surreal when you go through it, because there’s so much denial. So it’s kind of nice that victim services are there. You’re probably not going to use them right away, but from what I remember, she brought a business card and said here’s my name and call me if you need me,” said Casurella.

Darcie James is the program manager of the Lethbridge Police Service Victim Services Unit, a program that helps those who have been affected by crime to find support in many forms. James is a retired LPS Staff Sargent who has been working with VSU for seven years and coordinates almost 60 volunteers from around the area who make up the VSU team. James explains how VSU comes into contact with those they serve, going out alongside the LPS when called and being a friendly face is all that is needed when a team member arrives at the home of a victim.

“We don’t overpower them with a lot of information because anyone who’s impacted barely remembers what we’ve said, but they remember that we were there. We leave a card and some information they can glance at in a couple of days,” said James, describing the otherside of the VSU coin to Casurella’s experience.

James and her colleagues offer warm blankets, soft and cuddly toys for children to play with and a change of clothes for those in times of crisis. Those small comforts can make a big difference to those going through the worst experience of their lives says James. VSU also offers information on where to claim financial support or restitutions from the Alberta government, walking victims through court proceedings or putting victims in touch with a counsellor. Lethbridge VSU supports victims every step of the way.

For LPS officer, Sargent Sheppard, having VSU available to assist victims is an asset. Having someone who can spend time with a victim and just sit with them is a big comfort to many.

“Sometimes I think people don’t want to see a police officer, often times a lot of people are intimidated by the police or perhaps they haven’t had the best experience with the police in the past. Sometimes I think people like to see someone dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and a nice jacket, it isn’t as intimidating as a uniform.”

The Lethbridge VSU experienced a 22 per cent increase in call outs in 2014, assisting many across the community. Volunteers were sent out to deal with approximately 500 violent incidents last year and the highest number of homicides in Lethbridge ever. With that, James and her team of volunteers spent over 20,000 hours helping those who had been affected by crime in 2015.

The hard work and assistance Lethbridge VSU has given has been recognized internationally. In 2010 the team was awarded the International Chiefs Excellence in Victim Services Award. It is the only VSU in Canada to ever receive this award and is displayed proudly in the Lethbridge office.

Although Casurella didn’t choose to connect with some of the resources the VSU offered, she still felt supported by the program.

“Even though I didn’t access resources right away, I always had that card with me and I think that having that was a comfort.”