---
kind: "section"
citation: "34 U.S.C. § 12513"
title: "34"
title_heading: "Crime Control and Law Enforcement"
number: "12513"
heading: "Demonstration program on trauma-informed, victim-centered training for law enforcement"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/34/12513"
units:
  - "Subtitle I — Comprehensive Acts"
  - "Chapter 121 — Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement"
  - "Subchapter III — Violence Against Women"
  - "Part O — Trauma-Informed, Victim-Centered Training for Law Enforcement"
---

# §12513. Demonstration program on trauma-informed, victim-centered training for law enforcement

- (a) **Definitions—** In this section—
  - (1) the term “[Attorney General](/usc/34/10307.md?p=1)” means the [Attorney General](/usc/34/10307.md?p=1), acting through the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women;
  - (2) the term “covered individual” means an individual who interfaces with victims of [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), and [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36), including—
    - (A) an individual working for or on behalf of an eligible entity;
    - (B) an [administrator](/usc/34/11103.md?p=5) or personnel of a school, university, or other educational program or activity (including a campus police officer or a school resource officer); and
    - (C) an emergency [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) or medical employee;
  - (3) the term “demonstration site”, with respect to an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section, means the area over which the eligible entity has jurisdiction;
  - (4) the term “eligible entity” means a [State](/usc/34/11103.md?p=7), local, territorial, or Tribal [law enforcement](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-23) agency; and
  - (5) the term “mandatory partner” means a national, regional, or local [victim services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) organization or agency working in collaboration with a [law enforcement](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-23) agency described in [paragraph (4)](#a-4).
- (b) **Grants authorized—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Attorney General](/usc/34/10307.md?p=1) shall award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to collaborate with their mandatory partners to carry out the demonstration program under this section by implementing [evidence-based](/usc/34/11103.md?p=34) or [promising](/usc/34/11103.md?p=35) investigative policies and practices to incorporate [trauma-informed](/usc/34/11103.md?p=40), victim-centered techniques designed to—
    - (A) prevent re-traumatization of the victim;
    - (B) ensure that covered individuals use [evidence-based](/usc/34/11103.md?p=34) practices to respond to and investigate cases of [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), and [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36);
    - (C) improve communication between victims and [law enforcement](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-23) officers in an effort to increase the likelihood of the successful investigation and [prosecution](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-28) of the reported crime in a manner that protects the victim to the greatest extent possible;
    - (D) increase collaboration among stakeholders who are part of the coordinated community response to [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), and [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36); and
    - (E) evaluate the effectiveness of the training process and content.
  - (2) **Award basis—** The [Attorney General](/usc/34/10307.md?p=1) shall award grants under this section to multiple eligible entities for use in a variety of settings and communities, including—
    - (A) urban, suburban, Tribal, remote, and [rural areas](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-32);
    - (B) college campuses; or
    - (C) traditionally underserved communities.
- (c) **Use of funds—** An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant to—
  - (1) train covered individuals within the demonstration site of the eligible entity to use [evidence-based](/usc/34/11103.md?p=34), [trauma-informed](/usc/34/11103.md?p=40), and victim-centered techniques and knowledge of crime victims’ rights throughout an investigation into [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), or [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36), including by—
    - (A) conducting victim interviews in a manner that—
      - (i) elicits valuable information about the [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), or [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36); and
      - (ii) avoids re-traumatization of the victim;
    - (B) conducting field investigations that mirror best and [promising](/usc/34/11103.md?p=35) practices available at the time of the investigation;
    - (C) customizing investigative approaches to ensure a culturally and linguistically appropriate approach to the community being served;
    - (D) becoming proficient in understanding and responding to complex cases, including cases of [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), or [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36)—
      - (i) facilitated by alcohol or drugs;
      - (ii) involving strangulation;
      - (iii) committed by a non-stranger;
      - (iv) committed by an individual of the same sex as the victim;
      - (v) involving a victim with a disability;
      - (vi) involving a male victim; or
      - (vii) involving a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (commonly referred to as “LGBT”) victim;
    - (E) developing collaborative relationships between—
      - (i) [law enforcement](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-23) officers and other members of the response team; and
      - (ii) the community being served; and
    - (F) developing an understanding of how to define, identify, and correctly classify a report of [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), or [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36); and
  - (2) promote the efforts of the eligible entity to improve the response of covered individuals to [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), and [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36) through various communication channels, such as the website of the eligible entity, social media, print materials, and community meetings, in order to ensure that all covered individuals within the demonstration site of the eligible entity are aware of those efforts and included in trainings, to the extent practicable.
- (d) **Demonstration program trainings on trauma-informed, victim-centered approaches—**
  - (1) **Identification of existing trainings—**
    - (A) **In general—** The [Attorney General](/usc/34/10307.md?p=1) shall identify trainings for [law enforcement](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-23) officers, in existence as of the date on which the [Attorney General](/usc/34/10307.md?p=1) begins to solicit applications for grants under this section, that—
      - (i) employ a [trauma-informed](/usc/34/11103.md?p=40), victim-centered approach to [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), and [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36); and
      - (ii) focus on the fundamentals of—
        - (I) trauma responses;
        - (II) the impact of trauma on victims of [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), and [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36); and
        - (III) techniques for effectively investigating [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), and [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36).
    - (B) **Selection—** An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall select one or more of the approaches employed by a training identified under [subparagraph (A)](#d-1-A) to test within the demonstration site of the eligible entity.
  - (2) **Consultation—** In carrying out [paragraph (1)](#d-1), the [Attorney General](/usc/34/10307.md?p=1) shall consult with the Director of the Office for Victims of Crime in order to seek input from and cultivate consensus among outside practitioners and other stakeholders through facilitated discussions and focus groups on best practices in the field of [trauma-informed](/usc/34/11103.md?p=40), victim-centered care for victims of [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), and [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36).
- (e) **Evaluation—** The [Attorney General](/usc/34/10307.md?p=1), in consultation with the Director of the [National Institute of Justice](/usc/34/11103.md?p=4-C), shall require each eligible entity that receives a grant under this section to identify a research partner, preferably a local research partner, to—
  - (1) design a system for generating and collecting the appropriate data to facilitate an independent process or impact evaluation of the use of the grant funds;
  - (2) periodically conduct an evaluation described in [paragraph (1)](#e-1); and
  - (3) periodically make publicly available, during the grant period—
    - (A) preliminary results of the evaluations conducted under [paragraph (2)](#e-2); and
    - (B) recommendations for improving the use of the grant funds.
- (f) **Authorization of appropriations—** There are authorized to be appropriated to the [Attorney General](/usc/34/10307.md?p=1) $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out this section.
- (g) **Rule of construction—** Nothing in this section shall be construed to interfere with the due process rights of any individual.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 103–322, title IV, § 41701, as added Pub. L. 117–103, div. W, title II, § 205(b), Mar. 15, 2022, 136 Stat. 859.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section not effective until Oct. 1 of the first fiscal year beginning after Mar. 15, 2022, see section 4(a) of div. W of Pub. L. 117–103, set out as a note under section 6851 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade.

### Short Title

For short title of section 205 of Pub. L. 117–103, which enacted this part, as the “Abby Honold Act”, see section 205(a) of Pub. L. 117–103, set out as a Short Title of 2022 Amendment note under section 10101 of this title.