Domestic Violence
This week we have seen local and national news reports that have brought the
issue of domestic violence to the forefront.
· On Monday, April 2, 32007, Rebecca Griego was shot and killed by her
ex-boyfriend, Jonathan Rowan. Griego had a restraining order against Rowan
as he had repeatedly threatened her during and after their on-and-off
relationship. He stalked and harassed her and her family. Though she had
moved and changed her phone number, Rowan continued to call her at work.
Co-workers were advised of the situation and told to watch out for him.
Even with that, Rowan went to Griego¹s place of employment at the University
of Washington, shot her as she was alone in her office, then shot himself.
· On Tuesday, April 3, 2007, Clara Riddles, of College Park, Georgia,
was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend, Arthur Mann, at the CNN Center complex
in Atlanta. Witnesses saw Mann pulling Riddles by her hair. Riddles was
screaming, trying to wrestle free of Mann. Witnesses said Riddles appeared
to be shot at point-blank range, ³Šlike he [Mann] had the gun right on top
of her head and shot her." Mann was subsequently shot by a security
officer, is currently in a hospital in stable condition, and has been
charged with Riddles¹ murder.
Domestic violence is the ugly elephant in the room that nobody really wants
to talk about. Much domestic abuse goes unreported. The victims (or as I
prefer to refer to them as the survivors) may feel shamed, trapped, or
afraid. While many of us may think, ³just leave.² Think about the above
examples. These women did everything they could. They got out, they had
retraining orders, they moved on. Unfortunately, the ex-boyfriends did not.
It is a fact that a person is far more likely to be assaulted, abused, or
raped by someone they know, have trusted or live with than they are by a
stranger. In most instances, the victims or survivors have options. There
is assistance for those who want or need it, and there is always something
that can be done.
Seattle Police Response to Domestic Violence
Seattle Police respond to domestic violence calls more than any other
person-to-person crime. A domestic violence call is dispatched with the
highest priority because of the potential for harm or death. Once at the
scene of the domestic violence call, if there is evidence of physical
assault, the abuser will be arrested, removed from the scene and charged
with domestic violence Assault. Arrest and removal of the abuser is
mandatory per Washington state law.
Further, Seattle is one of the only police departments in the country that
has a dedicated Domestic Violence Investigations unit. The detectives in
this unit consider their work ³Murder Prevention.² That should give you an
idea of how serious they take the issue.
Additionally, Seattle has a unique program called the Domestic Violence
Victim Support Team. The Victim Support Team is a partnership between
community volunteers and police. The program is designed to address the gap
in services for domestic violence victims that often occurs over the
weekend, working with the survivors from the time patrol officers respond to
a domestic violence call to the time advocates, detectives and prosecutors
make contact with the victim(s) for follow up. Victim Support Team
volunteers provide crisis intervention, safety planning, help locating
emergency resources, transportation to a safe location, and referrals to
over 100 community agencies. For more information about the Victim Support
Team, or to get involved, please call (206) 684-7721.
There are a number of state, local and national domestic violence resources.
If you know those who need assistance, good starting points are the King
County Coalition Against Domestic Violence website (www.kcadv.org
<http://www.kcadv.org/> ) or call the Washington State Domestic Violence
hotline: 1-800-562-6025.
Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator
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