The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department will soon hire a bilingual victim advocate.

Funding for a victim advocate to assist Lexington County Hispanics affected by crime is part of more than $46 million worth of grants recently approved for law enforcement agencies statewide by the South Carolina Public Safety Coordinating Council.

“This position will focus on building trust and serving the needs of crime victims. We want every victim to feel completely comfortable in coming forward,” said Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon.

Koon said the deputy selected for the position will work to prevent further abuse, neglect and criminal acts among the Spanish-speaking community.

“The welfare of all victims will be the top objective for this position,” Koon said. “We’ll do that by providing the wide array of services we typically offer and then coordinating with partner agencies and organizations to assist victims on a more individualized basis.”

The Sheriff’s Department expects to fill the bilingual law enforcement victim advocate position before the end of the year, according to Koon.