Domestic violence cases can be complicated to investigate. But what if there was a tool, like a registry, to identify repeat offenders? Tennessee just implemented one, and local lawmakers are paying attention.
Oakland County State Rep Mike Harris says a registry would be for the most egregious cases,
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“I’ve spent 26 years of law enforcement and I have seen about every type of domestic violence situation you can think of,” Harris said.
From law enforcement to the legislature, State Rep Mike Harris supports a national domestic violence registry with some restrictions.
“I think it’s a good informative piece that people could refer to, similar to comparisons with sex offender registrations,” Harris said. “I do think there’s a difference and I do think that we need to be very cautious in the rollout,” he added.
This year in Tennessee, a bill called Savanna’s Law went into effect.
It created the nation’s first public registry for persistent domestic violence offenders.
And it’s caught the attention of Detroit Police.
“I will be looking at the impact,” DPD Captain Dana Russell said. “Has any victim been exposed, their identity, or any family members? That’s my biggest concern is protecting their privacy.”
Domestic violence cases can be difficult to investigate and prosecute for many reasons.
In some cases victims may be too afraid to leave the relationship. And there are concerns about which convictions would land someone on a national DV registry and whether family members could be unintentionally exposed.
“We don’t want people to be scared to call 911 because now their life becomes public. So I think that’s really something that we have to consider as we look at this,” State Rep Harris said.
Haven is an emergency shelter in Oakland County for survivors of intimate partner violence.
The non-profit supports a national DV registry with parameters to protect survivors.
“We’re not talking about innocent people walking around and putting them in a registry,” said Haven CEO Christine Kinal. “We’re talking about folks that are willing to abuse and harm the people that they love the most.”