Center Stage
Domestic Violence Home Visit Program
38
I
n August 2015, the department
launched a pilot project through
the end of the year that focused
on conducting home visits at
domestic disturbance locations.
Home visits included contacting
both victims and suspects. By
the end of December, personnel
visited 61 residences and made
contact with 51 individuals
resulting in an 84% successful
contact rate at residences.
Only 13 individuals out of the
51 contacted had additional police
contact after the home visit (25%).
Only five locations generated
offense reports out of the 13
individuals having additional
contact with police.
Field personnel reported that
people were generally receptive
to the information and resources
provided during the home visits.
The goal of the program is to
prevent repeated responses to
homes for domestic violence
situations.
There were several success
stories during the pilot project
including a residence in the
North District that officers
had responded to 17 times for
domestic incidents in 2015.
Officers conducted a couple of
home visits at the location and
there was a substantial reduction
in calls for service at the location.
The victim reported a greater
self-esteem and was able to make
better decisions based upon social
service and counseling services
that she attended.
On average, the department
conducts 3-5 visits a month in
each of the four patrol districts.
Officers and counselors receive
calendar appointments with the
location information and details
about prior calls so they can
engage with victims and suspects
during these follow-up visits.