The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa will commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week from April 19 to 25, 2026. The week focuses on promoting victims’ rights and honoring both crime victims and those who support them.
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is an annual initiative that highlights the importance of supporting individuals affected by crime and recognizing the work of advocates. This year’s theme is “Listen. Act. Advocate. Protect victims, serve communities.” United States Attorney Leif Olson said, “This week gives us a chance to thank the people and organizations whose tireless work comforts victims of crime in Iowa, giving them support, life-saving services, and, most importantly, hope.”
Events planned across Iowa include a large community awareness gathering at the Sioux City Convention Center with more than thirty agencies providing resources for survivors; the seventeenth annual “Go the Distance for Crime Victims” five-kilometer run at Thomas Park in Marion to help cover costs for victims; and a commemoration by the Iowa Department of Corrections featuring a presentation honoring deceased crime victims and their loved ones.
Olson also announced awards recognizing outstanding service to crime victims in Iowa. Sarah Harms, victim-witness coordinator with the Statewide Prosecution Section of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, received this year’s Award for Victim Services. Deputy Erin Bennett from Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Special Agent Holly Witt from Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and Detective Christopher Wuebker from Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office were honored with Law Enforcement Victim Services Awards.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa advocates for about 1.3 million residents across fifty-two counties covering over twenty-five thousand square miles according to its official website. The office maintains locations in Cedar Rapids and Sioux City while prosecuting federal crimes and representing federal interests in civil cases according to its official website. Its staff includes more than twenty assistant U.S. attorneys as well as three high-intensity drug trafficking area attorneys according to its official website.
With sixty employees overall according to its official website, this office is part of the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website—prosecuting federal crimes, managing civil litigation on behalf of the government, collecting debts owed federally, and assisting witnesses or victims involved in federal cases.
