Victims' Assistance Program

Program Updates

The Victims' Assistance Program, through the citizens of San Jose, raised over $5,000.00 to assist the family with funeral expenses for Alexander Arriaga, the toddler killed by a train in San Jose in November 2005.

In January of 2006, Guadalupe Barajas, was murdered by her boyfriend in their apartment. Her daughter Andrea, 4 years old, woke up to find her mother's body. She then bravely fed and took care of her younger sisters, Lizbeth, 3, and Alexandra, 20 months, for 16 hours, until family members came to investigate why they had not heard from their mother. The Victims' Assistance Program collected in excess of $49,000 in donations for the three young girls. Their grandparents, who are now raising them, have put this money into a fund for their college education.

The Cruz children, Nicky, Jr., Gonzalo, Marilyn, Stephanie and Osvaldo, lost their father. He was murdered trying to protect his son. Their mother had been killed in 2004 by a hit and run driver. The Victims' Assistance Program is currently taking donations for these children. Presently donations are totaling over $50,000.

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The mission of the Victims' Assistance Program is to support Community Policing by helping to reduce the Community's fears and burdens from criminal activity. The Program will provide financial assistance to victims of violent crime or loss of property by building a partnership with the victim(s), the media, police officers, and members of the community.

The first beneficiary of the new fund was the City's Veterans Memorial, which was vandalized and seriously damaged last month.

The SJPOA presented a $5,000 donation from its Victims' Assistance Program to San José Mayor Ron Gonzales and members of the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars Council of Santa Clara County to go towards restoring the damaged memorial.

"The membership of the San José Police Officers' Association is proud to help restore the Veteran’s Memorial," said Don DeMers, President of the San José Police Officers' Association. "It’s a special honor to have the first donation from our new Victims' Assistance Program go towards restoring a monument dedicated to honoring those who risked their lives to ensure our freedom."

The San José Police Officers' Association formed the Victims' Assistance Program to assist the victims of violent crimes or loss of property in our community. The program assists crime victims by providing them with financial assistance and support.

The Victims' Assistance Program will partner with local and national media to bring greater attention and community support to the needs of crime victims in our city. The program will consider applicants referred by the local media and will accept contributions from local businesses and residents to assist victims. All contributions are tax deductible.

The Veteran's Memorial of San José is located on the lawn adjacent to the Center for Performing Arts and features inscribed glass sheets with historical accounts of past wars including World War II and the Vietnam War. On March 19, 2005, damage to the Veterans Memorial was discovered. The San José Police Department is still investigating the details of this case. The estimated cost to restore the memorial is $20,000.

Download the Victims Assistance flyer.