KUSA — Phyllis Sjobert is no stranger to emergency calls.
She used to be a first responder, but after retirement she’s showing up to scenes in another role, as a volunteer victims’ advocate for the Brighton Police Department.
"My role is to take care of the victim as far as making sure they’re safe, making sure they have food, making sure they have shelter," Sjobert said.
Brighton’s volunteers respond to calls in Brighton and Commerce City -- about 90,000 people. They’re on-call for 12-hour shifts, usually from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Volunteers have 30 minutes to get on-scene after they’re dispatched to a call.
Most calls are domestic violence-related, and almost half involve kids.
Sjobert has been volunteering six to seven days a month for about two and a half years.
"I used to be on the fire department; I'm retired from that,” she said. “I saw the first part of what happened at crime scenes, and I never got to see what happened afterward, and I just thought it would be kind of neat to help people after the fact."
Now, she said she knows.
"It's really, really rewarding,” Sjobert said.
Kim Messina, Brighton's victim services manager, said they have an advocate on call 24/7, 365 days a year. Brighton needs more of these volunteers, who get 40 hours of training before they respond to their first call.
Messina said these advocates are often meeting people on the worst days of their lives. Their purpose is to make victims feel safe.
“When law enforcement shows up on-scene, they're about safety, they're about preventing violence," Messina said. "Advocates come on scene to work with the person directly and to talk about, 'I'm sorry this happened to you, [and] these are some things to think about.'"
Messina said it’s all about compassion.
"They make sure on-scene, that a victim's voice is heard or that they're safe, or they're treated with respect," Messina said. "We want you to know that you're important and you have choices."
That’s something Sjobert said can be difficult.
"Sometimes, it's awfully hard to see stuff go on with little kids and babies, especially when they're hurt,” she said. “I have a hard time handling that.”
But she also said if you're somebody who likes doing things for people, this job is for you.
"It's the personal satisfaction of knowing that I've done something for somebody," she said.
Click here for more information on volunteering as a victim advocate for Brighton Police Department. Local police departments can also provide information about their programs.
