Domestic Violence from Guest Blogger and DV Detective

In May 2011, I took over as the Blue Springs Police Domestic Violence Detective. Since given this great opportunity I’ve dedicated my efforts to do anything in my power to end the cycle of domestic violence in Blue Springs. 

My passion to help survivors of domestic violence didn’t start when I took over as the Blue Springs Police Domestic Violence Detective, but my position helped me realize the power that I had to save lives through my investigations and interactions with survivors. I found that my past experience as a patrol officer—being involved in a shooting while responding to a domestic assault—and my quest for justice was very similar to the survivors of domestic violence with whom I work. That connection, even though different, allowed me to see through the eyes of a survivor seeking justice.

I’ve used my training and past experiences to help develop goals to end the cycle of domestic violence. I’ve realized that I first must provide social awareness of the prevalence and seriousness of domestic violence. I understand the importance of educating patrol officers on the best practices for handling domestic disputes and ensuring that survivors are given information on the resources available to assist them.  Once assigned a new case, I know I must contact survivors as soon as possible after the initial report is taken and share my understanding and concern for the traumatic situation that they have been involved in. I then must gather the evidence and explain the legal process.

I’ve quickly found that there are many barriers to reaching my goal of ending the cycle of domestic violence. First, how do we reach those victims that don’t call for assistance?  How do we prosecute a case when the victim refuses to assist in prosecution? How do I ensure that officers are gathering all the evidence needed to build an investigation? How do we better track subjects placed on probation?

We haven't ended the cycle of domestic violence yet but, with the assistance of our court advocate from Hope House and the patrol officers on the road, we are identifying those at greatest risk of violence and abusers prone to commit those acts of violence. Through ongoing training we have improved how officers handle and report those domestic disputes. Patrol officers are linking survivors of intimate partner domestic assaults to Hope House advocates through the Lethality Assessment Program. Patrol officers are making arrests of the primary physical aggressor if probable cause exists even if the survivor is not willing to sign a complaint at the time. The municipal court is holding five separate domestic violence dockets per month to ensure that victims get justice as soon as possible. The Blue Springs Police Dispatch supervisor has begun entering the information of subjects placed on municipal probation into the Regional Justice Information Service computer system.

With the continued support from the Blue Springs Police Department and our partners at Hope House, survivors of domestic violence are getting the support they need and tools to escape their dangerous situations. Together we are ending the cycle of domestic violence.

Marti Hill

I had the extreme pleasure of meeting a very courageous, warm and inviting woman. Joyce Layman Blackburn introduced me to Marti Hill so I could hear her story and offer resources for their joint project the Living Proof website.

Marti is an amazing woman. She has survived so much and has become a pioneer and advocate for those who are experiencing trauma, pain and loss. Marti’s story is not one of domestic violence, but she has so much to say that can impact those who are experiencing domestic violence. Her desire is to help everyone and she realized that she couldn’t do it alone, so she set about gathering people around her who could help. She had a dream to use her trauma and victimization and turn it into something positive that would help inspire others and promote healing.

Marti was viciously attacked on September 8, 2010 by Brian Pennington. Brian had done home repair work for Marti and Marti’s mother. Early one morning, Brian drove to Marti’s house on the pretense of showing her some more work that he found still needed to be done on her house. Instead, he viciously attacked her and left her for dead in the basement of her home.

It is a miracle that Marti is alive. Her injuries were so severe that, if it hadn’t been for her caring co-workers who became concerned when she didn’t show for work and called for a wellness check, Marti most likely would not be alive today. Marti has embraced this miracle and is committed to creating something positive out of a horrific situation. I applaud Marti for her courage, her commitment to helping others and her willingness to turn tragedy into hope.

Marti’s story was highlighted on CBS 48 Hours on February 2, 2013. She has much to offer to those who are in need or who want to be inspired by her story of survival. To learn more about Marti’s story and who she is, visit her website martihill.com. I know you will be as impressed with Marti as I am.

Lethality Assessment Program

I have written about our Lethality Assessment Program in partnership with area law enforcement agencies in the past. This tool allows police officers to discuss with a victim the risk of being killed if they stay in the relationship. 

The tool is a series of questions the officers asks the victim. Based on the victim’s responses, the officer can determine the chances of the victim dying at their abuser’s hand. It has allowed officers the opportunity to engage in conversation around victim safety in a way that is meaningful, with facts from research to assist in the conversation. 

It has also opened the door for Hope House staff to have conversations with very high-risk victims that we were not able to reach in the past. It has been remarkable and exciting to be a part of this program.

We have been thrilled with our continuing work with Raytown, Lee’s Summit, Grandview and Blue Springs Police Departments. The tool has proven to be very useful for both Hope House staff and police officers. 

I am very excited that the Independence Police Department recently joined the program. We are grateful they are committed to addressing the issue of domestic violence.

Together, we do make a difference in the lives of those victimized by domestic violence.  To break the cycle of DV, it takes the hard work of everyone in our community. This program is doing that, one person at a time. 

Lethality Assessment Program

In May we were able to work with the Safe Family Coalition to deliver cookies to all of the police officers that have been a part of the Lethality Assessment Project (LAP) as a way to say thank you for their commitment to those who are impacted by domestic violence.

The LAP was started as a pilot project with the cities of Lee’s Summit, Grandview, Raytown and Kansas City police departments. The police partner with the local domestic violence agency in carrying out the program, which is based on research on lethality for battered women.

The program is simple: when police respond to a domestic violence scene, they ask the victim a series of research-based questions. The way the victim answers these questions can determine the level of lethality for that victim. Based on the answers, the police officers will talk to the victims about safety and the concern that they have for the victim.

The officers then call our hotline and speak to an advocate with the goal of getting the victim to speak to the advocate. They will safety plan, discuss resources - such as shelter - and to make a follow up appointment to further discuss the situation.

The program has worked extremely well. The pilot project ended in October of 2009, but all participating departments have continued with the program. We have also added the Blue Springs police department to the list of participating departments.

We know that only 3% of domestic violence homicide victims had ever availed themselves to services prior to their deaths. We, as DV programs, have worked to reach this group of victims but have not had much success. Through this program, we are able to reach this very high risk group of people.

We are grateful for the participation of all of the police departments, the administration and the officers that complete the surveys. With the support of the officers on the street, we are working to save lives.

Guardian Program

Today’s guest blogger is Kelli Stallman, Coordinator for the Guardian Program.
 

Hope House’s Guardian Program provides supervised visitation or exchange for non-custodial parents and their children. Our client families are mainly ordered into supervised visits by Adult Abuse Courts, Family Court, or Children’s Division.

These families have issues that range from domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, mental health issues, or a parent never having been in a child’s life.

 

Because of the many problems that are faced by these families, the Program is arranged so that custodial and non-custodial parents park in different parking lots, and arrive at different times to avoid any chance meetings.

We have therapists supervise the visits between the non-custodial parent and the child. An off-duty police officer is on site at all times. The families receive an hour of visitation a week free of charge, and can schedule additional time for a fee.

 

As the Coordinator for the Guardian Program, I have the pleasure of working directly with the survivors of domestic violence, as well as their children who have witnessed the violence between parents.

 

Often times, the children have themselves been victims of some type of abuse. The Guardian Program staff also work directly with the non-custodial parent, which is often the identified abuser. My job is extremely rewarding. I watch the kids grow and change, and see them heal from the abuse they have seen and experienced.

 

When I have a child from the program run up to give me a hug and a huge smile, it hits home why I do the job I do. How often do you get a card from a child you barely know thanking you for what you do, or drawing you a personal Christmas card? I am fortunate to receive several of these every year.

 

Sometimes what is thought of as the hardest job, by nature of its requirements, can be the most rewarding. I look forward to the drawings, the hugs, and the smiles that greet me when the kids come in. That is what I look forward to each day.

A Day in the Life of a Court Advocate

Today’s guest blogger is Sara Decamp, Hope House Court Advocate.

Imagine that the police were just at your house because your spouse assaulted you. Your spouse is arrested and the police leave you with a piece of paper telling you when your court date is. Would you know what to do next, and what to expect at court?

Photo courtesy of Sammylee at stock.xchng

Now imagine that you need protection from your abuser. Would you know the where to start or how to fill out paperwork?

I feel fortunate that I am part of a team that is able to assist victims in navigating through the often confusing court system. When people ask “What is a typical day like for you?” the real answer is there is no typical day. I can plan a day out in my head, but as soon as I hit the door that plan usually crumbles.

In the court program, we get police reports from the different departments and make contact with the victims by phone, letter or face to face, if necessary. What can start out a simple phone call to see how they are doing can turn into an all day event of trying to safety plan, filling out paperwork for orders of protection, perhaps finding shelter, or making more police reports for this one person.

When in court, we hear the stories that the abusers make up, see the intimidation that they try on the victims and see them, many times, escape consequences.

These are the tough points of the job; seeing a victim reduced to tears because she is terrified to testify or because there just wasn’t enough evidence and the abuser gets off on the charges.

It would be so easy to just throw your hands up and say “Why bother?” at this point. But when a victim who has avoided court in the past because of fear finds her voice and finally stand up to the person who has kept her down for so long, that trumps everything.

Point In Time Survey

The National Network Against Domestic Violence (NNEDV) has released the results from their 5th annual Point In Time Study. This study is done once a year, to calculate the number of people across the country who are receiving domestic violence services on a given day (September 15, 2010).

This study gives us the opportunity to talk about the need in our country, and to highlight the services that are offered. It also allows us to see the unmet need and what work still needs to be done. This gives us information to discuss with our elected officials in order to address the needs of a very vulnerable population.

The national numbers are astounding to comprehend:

• 70,648 victims across the country received safe shelter.
• 33,129 received non-residential services.
• 23,522 hotline calls were answered
• 9,541 requests for services were unmet.

In Missouri on that day:

• 2,114 victims found safety in emergency shelters or transitional housing.
• 740 adults and children received non-residential services including groups and individual counseling.
• 286 people across the state were turned away due to lack of capacity.

Reports from the other programs were consistent with what we are seeing at Hope House: the economy has definitely impacted the number of people seeking services and resources in the community are down. The need continues to be overwhelming across our country.

The NNEDV website (www.nnedv.org ) reports: Across the nation on September 15, 2010, three women were murdered by their intimate partners. 36 babies were born to mothers living in domestic violence shelters. 391 survivors started new jobs. Three men committed suicide – one after murdering his wife, another after a failed attempt to kill his girlfriend, and the third after holding his partner hostage and a standoff with the police.

So we continue to be challenged by the ever increasing need, and we will continue to rise above the challenge and meet the needs of those we serve.

The Guardian Program

In domestic violence situations, visitation and exchange of children is a very dangerous time. Knowing that the custodial parent is obligated to honor the court order allowing visitation, the abuser often uses the opportunity to continue to stalk, abuse and to terrorize the victim/custodial parent.

Knowing this, Hope House started the Guardian Program in November of 2002. Our program is designed so that visits and exchanges are safe for everyone. The custodial and the non-custodial parents arrive separately, park in separate parking lots, and leave at different times so that there can be no opportunity for abuse or stalking to occur.

The program consists of a Program Coordinator, therapists, and an off-duty police officer who is there to ensure everyone’s safety.

The program has three components:

1) The exchange of children when there is no court order for supervised visits. This most often occurs Wednesday evenings, and/or Friday evenings for weekend visits with the kids returning on Sunday. In exchanges the children are taken from the custodial parent to the non-custodial parent by the staff person; the parents never interact.

2) When the court has ordered the visits to be supervised, the program is able to offer two levels of supervised visits.

     a. The first is less intensive and can be offered in a group setting with other families.

     b. In more severe situations, a judge may order that the non-custodial parent can’t be around any other children. In those situations, the visit would be limited to just the one family.

The Guardian Program has offered safety, support and hope to hundreds of children as they visit with their non-custodial parent. It gives them the opportunity to begin the healing process, and if they desire, to rebuild a relationship with the offending parent; the choice is theirs.

Lethality Assessment Program

I am excited to tell you about a program that Hope House is doing in conjunction with the Lee’s Summit, Raytown and Grandview Police Departments called the Lethality Assessment Program.

The program represents the work of Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell of The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. In her 25 years of research Dr. Campbell learned:

• Only 4% of domestic violence murder victims ever availed themselves of services.
• In 50% of domestic violence related homicides, officers had previously responded to a call to that home.
• The re-assault of domestic violence victims in high danger was reduced by 60% if the victim went into shelter. 

With this research data, the Maryland Coalition Against Domestic Violence (MCADV) began the Lethality Assessment Program for First Responders. The MCADV chose five pilot sites to take their project nation wide and the Kansas City area was chosen as one of those pilot sites through a collaborative effort called the Safe Family Coalition.

WHAT IS LAP

The LAP project is a two pronged intervention program that consists of a research-based lethality screening tool and an accompanying protocol referral that provides direction for the officer based on the results of the screening process. The project consists of a police department and a domestic violence agency working together.

When police are called to the scene of domestic violence situation they utilize the screening tool. This screening is a series of questions that determines if that victim is at high risk for lethality or being killed based on how the victim answers. This screening gives the officers another tool to use to talk with the victim. They can say to the victim, “I am very concerned for your safety. Research shows that based on the way you answered these questions, there is a high likelihood that you will be killed by your abuser.”

SAFETY PLANNING AND REFERRALS

Once the screening is complete, the officer lets the victim know that he/she will be calling Hope House and talking to the hotline operator; the goal being that the victim will talk to the hotline operator as well. The officer will talk with the hotline operator to assist with safety planning and referrals, even if the victim chooses not to get on the phone.

Many of the victims do talk to the hotline operator; 43% have come into services once they have made contact with the shelter. For some of these victims, this conversation is the first time they have ever had contact with us and had the opportunity to learn about the services that are available.

THE RESULTS

The participating police departments agreed to take part in this five month pilot project (June to October 2009) with no additional funding. All participating police departments chose to continue the program due to the success experienced during the pilot phase.

Of 202 screenings, 146 screened high for lethality (72%). We were told to expect about two calls per week but just in our participating communities we were experiencing approximately one call per day. Kansas City is also participating and they were experiencing approximately two calls per day.

What this says to me is that we are reaching a group of people we were not reaching before. We are offering services to those people who are most at risk of being of killed and are least likely to access services. This program is truly saving lives.

We are so proud of the police departments that continue to participate even with no funding or extra resources. They are committed to ending domestic violence and most importantly, committed to helping the victims find safety, support and hope. To the police departments I say thank you; we could not do this work without you and your efforts.

Court Advocacy Program

When perpetrators of domestic and dating violence are not held accountable, they are more likely to continue to batter.[1]  Conversely, when law enforcement officers are trained in the dynamics of domestic violence, offenders are more likely to be apprehended, and victims are more likely to feel supported and thereby participate in the criminal justice process.[2]  In fact, victims are most satisfied when the criminal justice system and nonprofit victim service organizations collaborate to listen to victims, explain their options, and honor their choices.[3] It is imperative for a community to establish an effective, coordinated effort between law enforcement, prosecutors, and domestic violence service providers. 

OFFERING SHELTER IS NOT ENOUGH

Hope House has long known that offering shelter is not enough to break the cycle of domestic violence. A comprehensive array of services is necessary to meet the needs of the victims we serve. One aspect of those services is court advocacy that coincides with a collaborative working relationship with area police departments and the judicial system. For far too long law enforcement, courts and service provider systems were fragmented when dealing with domestic violence.

A shift took place over 15 years ago and the system started addressing domestic violence together as a cohesive system rather than separate parts. In our community, domestic violence is viewed as a community problem, not a family problem or a problem for Hope House to solve. We realized that working together is imperative in keeping the victim safe and holding the offender accountable.

HOW OUR SYSTEM WORKS

The police respond to a call, arrest the perpetrator and give information to the victim about Hope House services. Many police officers will assist the victim in calling the hotline [816.461.HOPE (4673)] from the scene, to make that first step in reaching out for assistance less frightening. Hope House employs court advocates to provide advocacy services in 11 courts in Eastern Jackson County, serving over 9,000 victims every year.  

Court Advocates educate victims about the dynamics of battering relationships, discuss the services available at Hope House, and explain the procedures for obtaining ex parte Orders of Protection, as well as work with the Domestic Violence Investigator to target persistent offenders.  Hope House Court Advocates also provide domestic violence trainings and awareness materials for law enforcement, court personnel, and members of the judiciary.

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY FOR THE VICTIM

What we have learned in working with clients through the court system is they are often unaware of their options. They are not familiar with how the criminal justice system works, their rights, or may not even be fully aware of the danger they were living in. The court advocacy program and its collaborative partnership assist victims through the process and give a face to the system. The working relationships with the police and prosecutors save lives. Victims have gotten out of relationships and are living free of abuse thanks to the help they received.

VICTIMS ARE NOT ALONE

Let me end with a story that will put it all into perspective. The police were called to a home in reference to a domestic violence assault. The man was arrested and taken out of the home. A couple of days later the domestic violence detective and court advocate went to the home to check on the victim of the assault. When the woman opened her door, she was surprised to see the detective and an advocate standing there.

Once the detective explained they were there to check in on her because no one had been able to get a hold of her, she began to cry. The victim said “I didn’t realize anyone cared. I thought I was in this alone.” You see, once the man bonded out of jail, he come home and shot up the living room in retaliation for the police being called. The victim said she did not call the police after that incident because she feared for her life. The advocate was able to assist the victim with obtaining an emergency ex-parte and the detective worked on getting state charges filed against the abuser. This woman did not go through this alone and she did get out of her 15 year abusive relationship.  

1 Reported in the Campaign for Funding to End Domestic and Sexual Violence FY 2009 Appropriations Briefing Book (2008).  Cassandra Archer et al., Institute for Law and Justice, National Evaluation of the Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies Program 14 (Nov. 2002).

2 Ibid.

3 National Institute of Justice (Jan. 2006). Victim Satisfaction with the Criminal Justice System. NIJ Journal No 253

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