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.
