Kane County Sheriff’s Dept. honors Special Victims Team for life-saving work

Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain presented a life-saving award at a recent County Board meeting to Nicole Krupp, a social worker with the department’s Special Victims Team, and Sgt. Brandon McKiness, the leader of the Special Victims Team, for their work to help a domestic violence victim.

According to a news release from the sheriff’s department, Krupp and McKiness were able to gain the trust of a woman who had been a victim of severe domestic violence and was often uncooperative with law enforcement. Their work led to criminal charges against the offender, an order of protection and the relocation of the woman to keep her safe, the release stated.

Hain implemented the Special Victims Team last November with two detectives and two social workers. The team specializes in cases involving juveniles, domestic violence and senior victims, the release stated. After six months, the team has supported 440 victims and has analyzed 1,220 cases from across the county.

The team has been funded using the sheriff’s existing budget, the release stated.

“The establishment of this team and their integration into our daily public safety work was seamless and is a prime example of the vast modernization of the Kane County Sheriff’s Office over the last two-plus years,” Hain stated.