The Special Victims Unit was created by the District Attorney’s Office to provide specially trained prosecutors and law enforcement officers equipped to deal with the complex issues surrounding sexual assault and child abuse. Under the leadership of District Attorney Mark Powell, the SVU works tirelessly to break the cycle of sexual assault and prosecute crimes of sexual violence more effectively. Currently, the SVU is staffed by three prosecutors, a victim’s advocate and two full-time county detectives, as well as an additional detective focusing on technology-based crimes against children and technological evidence recovery.

The SVU team has considerable experience and training in prosecuting cases of child abuse and neglect, including sexual and physical assault, child exploitation and pornography, as well as intercepting online predators. SVU investigators are active members of a nationwide Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, where they work in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to arrest and prosecute those responsible for online exploitation of children.

The Unit uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigating and prosecuting child abuse cases, partnering with the Lackawanna County Office of Youth and Family Services and a variety of social service agencies, such as the Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Unit also provides specialized training to law enforcement officers, educators and variety of other disciplines to recognize the signs of abuse. The Children’s Advocacy Center has been a huge asset to the District Attorney’s Office in preventing and prosecuting child abuse. The Center is staffed by pediatric medical professionals, forensic interviewers, and victim service advocates, and works in conjunction with the SVU.

If you suspect a child is being abused, please call (800) 932-0313 (24 hours a day) or visit the state’s ChildLine website.

For more information, contact the Special Victims Unit at (570) 963-6717.