In 1992, District Attorney William J. Fitzpatrick created the Special Victims Bureau to investigate and prosecute cases involving child sexual and physical abuse, sexual assaults against adults and domestic violence. The mission of the Special Victims Bureau is to take cases, which have been historically difficult to prosecute for a variety of reasons, and proceed to a criminal prosecution with the ultimate goal of holding the perpetrator accountable for his actions. Recognizing that these cases were extremely difficult to prosecute, but at the same time, understanding that these were the most vulnerable victims in our system, D.A. Fitzpatrick sought to establish a specialized bureau that would aggressively pursue justice for these victims while being sensitive to the unique dynamics and issues inherent in these cases. This mission starts with ensuring that all Assistant District Attorneys and Investigators assigned to the Bureau are experienced and properly trained. Assistant District Attorneys in the Special Victims Bureau are often required to act as victim advocates and counselors as well as prosecutors.

The Special Victims Bureau has been successful in achieving its goals by using a team approach. Prosecutors in the Special Victims Bureau work together with investigators from specialized police units and a wide variety of professionals, advocates and counselors from human service agencies, the medical community and other groups or coalitions that serve crime victims. The goal of these collaborative efforts is to enhance and improve the services provided to victims who have been sexually assaulted, physically abused or stalked. We strive for a consistent, sensitive and professional response from law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Through training and specialization and by coordinating the investigation and interaction with victims, we hope to minimize the trauma to victims as a criminal case proceeds through the court system.

Members of the Special Victims Bureau understand and willingly accept that their cases will be challenging, if not impossible to win. Pursuing justice in cases held together by a thread of evidence has become "business as usual".

District Attorney Fitzpatrick has established two innovative programs to help protect women who are "at risk". The A.W.A.R.E. Program and the Cell Phone Program, both of which are administered from the Special Victims Bureau.