The Warren Police Department is closing a dangerous gap in domestic violence protection.
This is the problem they are solving: when someone is arrested for domestic violence and released on bond, that window right after they’re released can be dangerous for survivors. They call, text, and show up at their home.
Under the old system, it was up to the victim to report that, show up to court and relive everything. But in Warren, that’s now different.
In October, Warren passed an ordinance making it a misdemeanor to violate a no-contact order, up to 90 days in jail, and a $500 fine. And the big one -- the court can now move forward without the victim ever having to set foot in a courtroom. No reliving the trauma, no facing the person who hurt them.
Six months into the ordinance, 27 charges have already been authorized, and other cities are now calling Warren, trying to figure out how they did it.
Warren Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins, Detective Sergeant James Twardesky with Warren police, and Christina Boyland with Turning Point, an organization dedicated to providing free and confidential services to survivors of domestic violence, joined Local 4 Live to talk more about the ordinance.
You can watch the full interview in the video at the beginning of this article.