A partnership between SAFE Family Justice Centers and the Menifee Police Department is connecting victims with support services and providing programs for local youth, Menifee city officials learned during a June 3 presentation.
Marshall Hamilton, executive director of SAFE Family Justice Centers, provided the Menifee City Council with an overview of the nonprofit’s services and its ongoing partnership with the city and local law enforcement agencies.
The organization serves victims of interpersonal violence, including domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, human trafficking and sexual assault.
“We serve some of the most vulnerable population, not just here in the city, but in the county as well,” Hamilton said.
SAFE Family Justice Centers has provided victim services throughout Riverside County for the past 28 years. The City of Menifee has supported the organization through Community Development Block Grant funding since 2020.
In the fall of 2023, the organization launched a direct referral program with the Menifee Police Department, allowing officers to connect victims directly with support services.
“When they’re interacting with victims on their calls, they can refer them directly, rather than handing them a pamphlet or some card to call,” Hamilton said. “We really want to reach out proactively to those families that are interacting with law enforcement.”
According to Hamilton, the partnership has facilitated 332 referrals. He said Menifee has a higher per-capita rate of domestic violence than surrounding communities. In 2024, law enforcement responded to 369 domestic violence-related calls within the city.
The justice center serves approximately 250 Menifee residents annually. Services include counseling, restraining order assistance, court support, family law referrals, case management, youth empowerment groups and basic needs support.
Hamilton also highlighted several youth-focused programs operated through the organization.
Menifee Police Department became a participating law enforcement agency with the justice center in 2024 and has worked to help young people develop leadership skills and positive relationships within their communities.
“We do have a Menifee officer who joins us pretty much every week for PAL (Police Activities League program),” Hamilton said, referring to Officer Gagik Khoudian. “He spends a lot of time with our kids, and it really does make an impact for them.”
The Riverside County PAL program serves children and teens ages 5 to 18 through free weekly mentoring activities.
“Our PAL program was founded with the idea that if we can put officers with the kids who are most likely going to need their assistance, the calls become safer for the families and for the law enforcement officers responding to them,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton also discussed the Southwest Valley Youth Court, a peer-based diversion program for teens. SAFE Family Justice Centers assumed oversight of the program in 2025, with Menifee Police Department serving as one of the participating agencies. Since then, approximately 10 Menifee youth have successfully completed the program.
