Kate Perrill, Victim Witness division manager for District Attorney’s Office, selected for Conrad Ball Award - Reporter-Herald
Thomas Clayton
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Kate Perrill, Victim Witness division manager for District Attorney’s Office, selected for Conrad Ball Award
Kate Perill of the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the Judge Conrad L. Ball Award and will be recognized in late September.
The Con Ball Award is given annually to a Larimer County employee in memory of the late judge.
The recipient — who is selected from candidates who are nominated by colleagues, coworkers and citizens — is given to someone “who has significantly contributed toward improving the quality of community justice in the county,” according to the award and banquet information page on the Larimer County website.
Perrill wrote in an email to the Reporter-Herald that being named the award recipient was an honor.
“I am so proud of the work that my team does every day to support victims of crime through the criminal justice process,” she wrote. “The advocates at the District Attorney’s Office as well as the advocates in our community do incredible work, and I want to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of victim services and how lucky we are to have such dedicated professionals working in our community. I am incredibly grateful to receive this award and even more grateful I get to do this job every day.”
Perill, who has served as the Victim Witness division manager since 2017, began her career with Larimer County in 2010, according to a release from the county. Her current team in the Victim Witness division consists of seven victims’ wellness specialists who are responsible for a number of tasks, including “the most important of those” in ensuring the DA’s office adheres to the requirements of the Colorado Victim’s Rights Act; this act requires the office to “ensure that victims of crime in our community are treated with fairness, dignity and respect,” according to the release.
The Victim Witness team, the release added, serves around 6,500 victims each year to ensure they are informed and connected to resources in the community and have needed support “as they traverse through the frightening and unfamiliar environment in the criminal justice system.”
Perrill is also the primary handler for Zion VII, the DA office’s facility dog who has been trained to provide emotional support for victims, witnesses and family members involved in cases.
District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin said in an email to the Reporter-Herald that Perrill is the first DA’s Office member to win the award in 16 years, describing her as “an incredibly deserving recipient.”
He also said that in the past few years Perrill has started a number of new programs designed to support victims, such as introducing Zion, and creating community events to bring recognition and awareness “to the incredibly bravery of victims in our community.
“Ms. Perrill leads an outstanding Victim Witness Department staff that dedicates their careers to passionately supporting crime victims through some of the most difficult days of their lives,” McLaughlin wrote. “Fighting for victims is at the heart of what we do and the success of a DA office begins with the dedicated victim advocate staff.”
Other nominees for this year’s award included April Tracy with the county’s Alternatives to Incarceration for Individuals with Mental Health Needs program as well as Chief Deputy District Attorney Amanda Duhon, according to the release.
An award banquet will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Fort Collins Country Club, 1920 Country Club Road. More information on the award or the banquet can be found at larimer.org.
 | Tom Clayton Communication and Media Specialist, Public Affairs |
| Commissioners' Office 200 W Oak St, Fort Collins, 80522 | 2nd Floor W: (970) 498-7005 tcla...@larimer.org | www.larimer.org |