Virginia Successfully Implements Enhanced Victim Notification Service

Fairfax, VA, Dec. 14, 2017 -- Speaking before a crowd that included victim-witness advocates, law enforcement, and legislators this morning, Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid and the Virginia Center for Policing Innovation  (VCPI) announced Virginia’s launch of a greatly enhanced version of Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE). A free service provided by Appriss Safety, VINE is the nation’s leading victim notification network. VINE provides crime victims and concerned citizens access to timely and reliable offender custody information through a toll-free telephone number, website or mobile application. Users may also register to receive automated notifications relating to changes in custody status via telephone, email or text message.

(L to R) Jonathan Turl, Appriss Safety; Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid; John Jones, Executive Director of the Virginian Sheriff's Association; Lynda O'Connell, Executive Director of VCPI, Amy Sheets, Virginia VINE Program Manager.

VINE has been serving victims since 1994, and has continued to evolve with advancements in technology and law enforcement. The enhanced VINE service will offer users innovative functionality and expanded access to victim services. The VINE Service Provider Directory is a key feature of the enhanced VINE and will allow users seeking assistance to directly connect with both local and national service providers. To date, over 90 Virginia service providers have joined the VINE Service Provider Directory.

Virginia became the third state in the country to implement the enhanced VINE service since its roll-out last May.

“VA VINE has helped people from every region of the Commonwealth gain peace of mind and a sense of control over their personal safety,” said Lynda O’Connell, Executive Director of VCPI.  “Advancements in technology over the past decade have allowed us to create an even better resource for Virginians to serve victims and the families and loved ones who support them.  The numbers speak for themselves. Since its launch in 2006, VA VINE has provided more than one million Virginians with real-time notifications on custody status changes for incarcerated offenders.  This year alone, we have seen nearly 70,000 new registrations with VA VINE.  I am proud to work with our many partners and stakeholders who have made Virginia a national leader, as the third state in the country to roll out the updated VINE program.”    

Josh Bruner, Appriss Safety President added, “Appriss is honored to partner with VCPI to introduce this new suite of VINE features and benefits to victims of crime throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. The new version of VINE provides a streamlined user experience, improve fluidity and ease of access to services for victims through features such as ‘Guide Me to a Service Provider’ and the VINE Service Provider Directory.”

2016 Virginia VINE Figures:

• 62,615 Virginians registered to use VINE’s services.
• 151,900 notifications were provided to Virginia’s VINE users through outbound calls, emails, text messages, letters and TTY, a device used to communicate with hearing or speech impaired individuals.
• 3,786,568 offender searches were conducted using the VINE website and mobile applications.
• 35,240 inbound phone calls were made to the Virginia VINE service number.

To access the enhanced Virginia VINE service, visit www.vinelink.com.

To download the free VINELink mobile app, visit https://apprisssafety.com/solutions/vine/vinemobile/.

About Appriss® Safety

Appriss Safety operates the nation’s most comprehensive and up-to-date arrest data network. We deliver data-driven solutions that help our customers make better informed decisions for early response to people-driven risk. By delivering real-time notifications, context-sensitive risk assessments, and actionable insights, we enable government agencies and commercial enterprises to save lives, fight crime, prevent fraud, and manage risk. For more information visit ApprissSafety.com.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1b57f9e2-1610-41e2-b1dd-6267f16bd26a

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/45d8a8ca-7ffd-4599-b145-3f196945cd06

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b223f68e-186e-4e03-a9b9-3e296278e2f1

Kate Chmielewski
Appriss Safety
(502) 815-3912
[email protected]