CASSOPOLIS — Next to a flagpole outside the Cass County Law and Courts Building sits a medium-size gray stone. Though typically unassuming, the stone will soon be covered in flowers to honor victims of violent crimes in Cass County.

The Cass County Prosecutor’s Office will host a flagpole ceremony honoring victims of violent crimes at noon Wednesday outside the Cass County Law and Courts Building in Cassopolis as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. A reception will take place immediately following the ceremony in the prosecutor’s office. Light refreshments will be served at the reception.

“It’s a simple ceremony, but it is very important to us,” said Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz.

For the ceremony, the family and friends of victims of violent crimes in Cass County will gather in a half circle around the gray stone memorial for victims of violent crimes outside the court building. A speaker will then discuss the theme of Crime Victims’ Rights Week, this year’s theme being “expand the circle, reach all victims,” and the importance of remembering victims of violent crimes. The names of victims will be read aloud, and flowers will be laid at the memorial in honor of them.

“We want to do this so that it helps [families] process the tragedy of a violent crime and know that their loved ones aren’t forgotten,” Fitz said. “We want them to know that they are not forgotten once their case is over. They are still very important to us.”

Fitz said that annually, between 40 and 50 people attend the ceremony. That number includes crime victims, their families and local officials.

The families of victims that attend the ceremony tend to do so year after year, Fitz said. He added that he always enjoys catching up with the families of victims and reassuring them that he and rest of the staff at the prosecutor’s office have not forgotten their loved ones.

“In a sober but warming way, this is kind of like a family reunion for us every year, because in the murder cases we work on, [family and friends of the victims] kind of become like family to us because we spend may hours with them, sitting at this table talking about the loss of their loved one, how the court process works, what the potential result of the case is and answering the many questions they have,” he said.

In addition to providing a remembrance for victims of violent crimes in Cass County, the flagpole ceremony — and Crime Victims’ Rights Week in general — is also important for the prosecutor’s office, Fitz said.

“This is one of the most important times of the year for this office because it reminds us why we do this, which is to bring justice and protect the community,” Fitz said. “Not only is [the flagpole ceremony] important for the victims, but it is important for my staff as well. These cases are more than numbers and statistics. They are human lives, lives that are lost and those that are left behind.”