The Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) under Secretary of State Sam Reed has won a prestigious honor and recognition from the United States Department of Justice. 
The program protects crime victims by keeping their mailing addresses secret from their offenders and the general public.
 Today in Washington D.C., the Department of Justice honored manager Margaret McKinney who led Washington’s ACP through this outstanding achievement.  
McKinney was presented with the Susan Laurence Memorial Award for Professional Innovation. 
 “The importance of this award cannot be overstated,” Reed said.  “Susan Laurence gave a voice to crime victims.  Similarly, ACP is a vehicle through which victims of domestic violence recover and move on their lives.  To have the United States Department of Justice step in and recognize ACP is a remarkable honor for the entire state.”
Susan Laurence made great strides to protect crime victims and hold their offenders accountable. 
Ultimately, her work as an advocate helped create victim-protection programs and expand rehabilitation to include victims’ needs. 
Laurence, a program specialist for the Office for Victims of Crime, died in 2000 following more than a two-year battle with cancer.             
 The Susan Laurence Memorial Award recognizes ACP in Washington State for providing extraordinary services to the victims of crime and solving a complex problem with an original solution.
 “This distinction is for the women and men who have been helped by ACP and for all the victim advocates in this state who have helped make the program successful,” said ACP Manager Margaret McKinney.  “Thanks to ACP and the dedication of its staff, these victims have begun the healing process and started over.  That is the greatest reward of all.”
More than 1,700 people have enrolled in ACP since its inception.  The program serves victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. 
Washington is the first state in the nation to have created this victim-protection program.