WARREN, Mich. – October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Warren Police Department is tackling the issue with a pilot program.
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Operation Cycle Break, now four months into its six-month run, is a collaboration between police, the courts, Wayne State University, and a local shelter.
Domestic violence cases can have deadly consequences, especially when victims try to leave their abusers. This period is also particularly dangerous for police officers. Recently, Warren police have been involved in two shootings while responding to domestic violence calls.
Last week, a Warren man was killed by his partner. Police say he had been accused of domestic violence earlier this year.
“Hopefully this model will be replicated all across the nation,” said Dr. Sharman Davenport, president and CEO of Turning Point Macomb, a domestic violence shelter.
She said that the pilot program could save lives.
Operation Cycle Break began in May. For the first time, officers are following up with victims within three to 10 days after a report is filed.
“As you can imagine, if there’s a six-month gap between the police department talking to you and the court talking to you, that’s a lot of time for simple things like moving, changing phone numbers or even more complex things like the offender threatening you, harassing you and trying to persuade you not to come to court,” said Sgt. Jim Twardesky of the Warren Police Department.
The program also introduces lethality assessments to help officials evaluate a victim’s risk of serious injury or death by an intimate partner.
“Roughly 68% of homicides in the last three years and at least half, if not more, of the violent crime occurring in the city overall had a tie to domestic violence,” Twardesky said.
Warren police handle about 9,000 domestic violence calls annually, second only to traffic stops. They hope a trauma-informed approach will create safer communities.
“If you’re concerned about crime and violence and disorder in your community, then you should be concerned about domestic violence, because it’s a driving force in a lot of what occurs,” Twardesky said.
While the program is time-consuming, officers find it rewarding.
“I think it’s a real step in the right direction. I think that it will definitely go a long way into helping break that generational cycle of domestic violence and abuse,” Davenport said.
Officers are also meeting with defendants in jail to discuss counseling and available resources.
Wayne State University will analyze the new data to determine what aspects of the program are effective and what needs improvement.