PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Katrina Rodriguez is a busy woman.
As the victim services coordinator for the Beaverton Police Department, she provides support and guidance to victims of crimes to help keep those victims and their families safe.
Rodriguez also gives donated cell phones to crime victims and provides a self-defense class.
Oh, and she started the Victim Advocate Program. The program trains volunteers to respond on-scene along with police officers to offer support to victims of crime who have experienced trauma. The volunteers provide 24/7 support, even on holidays, to not only offer emotional help but to also inform victims about the criminal justice process and what resources they can utilize.
Rodriguez said she was raised to serve others and to have a heart for those in need and vulnerable.
“To me, going through situations with people and accompanying them through the most difficult times of their life can be challenging but through that, you also get to see the most strength and resilience of humanity,” said Rodriguez. “And that’s what motivates me and drives me.”
With her compassion, knowledge and commitment to keeping people safe — it’s not hard to see why Beaverton’s Human Rights Advisory Commission recently awarded Rodriguez with the 2018 Human Rights Award.
Winning the award came as a surprise for Rodriguez.
“It was totally unexpected, it was not something I was expecting to receive,” she said. “It’s really an honor to receive something like that, to be recognized for the work I’ve done throughout my life and that I currently do here because we believe the rights of all people are important.”
For Rodriguez, it’s all about serving others who need help — and the Beaverton Police Department has given her the means to achieve that calling.
“I think we have the most incredible officers who are here,” Rodriguez said. “And my role is to support them in serving people in our community who are going through really difficult experiences in their life.”
To those who are victims of trauma, be it domestic violence or otherwise, Rodriguez encourages them to reach out to advocates and learn about the resources available to them.
She wants everyone to find their own individual voices amidst their unique situations.
“I hope people know how valuable they are as human beings no matter who they are, where they are in life, what situations they’re in,” Rodriguez said. “That they’re valuable and they deserve to be safe and deserve to be in healthy families and healthy relationships.”