Recently, in a major city in another state, a new pilot program regarding domestic violence was announced. The city in question is Chicago. The pilot program will be conducted in one of the city’s police districts and it is a joint effort of the city’s police department, the city’s mayor’s office, the Department of Family and Support Services and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Under the pilot program, police officers who respond to domestic disturbance calls will fill out an assessment to determine if the household the call regarded is at high risk for injury-causing domestic violence. If a household is found to have such high risk, the household will be prioritized when it comes to things like elevated law enforcement investigations and check-ins, domestic-violence-related prosecutions and connecting victims to help and services.
One wonders if this new pilot program will prove effective in helping to get help, support and protection to domestic violence victims in a prompt matter. One also wonders, if the program does show effectiveness, if it will be expanded to cover more areas of Chicago and if other cities, such as cities here in Texas, will consider launching similar programs.
When domestic violence occurs, it can be incredibly important to get victims the help, support and protection they need as soon as possible. One type of protection it can be important to quickly get in place following a domestic violence incident are legal protections for the victim, such as a restraining order. Domestic abuse attorneys can help answer questions individuals who have been subjected to domestic violence have about how to pursue getting such legal protections put in place.
Source: City of Chicago, “Inter-Governmental Task Force Announces The Launch Of A Pilot Program To Identify And Support High Risk Domestic Violence Victims,” March 20, 2014