First Response Experts Train in Domestic Violence Crimes
Posted on Friday, March 18th, 2016
Cops, Counselors, Nurses Team Up: Kristi Crutchfield Cox,
Licensed Professional Counselor (l), was one of 55 area
therapists, police officers, family service workers, and nursing
students training in domestic violence intervention from
Love County Victim Advocate Yolanda Gay (right) at
Mercy Health/Love County Hospital.
A packed house of 55 law enforcement and victim service workers convened at Mercy Health/Love County Hospital in March to train together in domestic violence intervention.
Love County Victim Advocate Yolanda Gay organized the conference, which was the first of its type in southern Oklahoma.
For two days, cops, counselors, and nurses engaged in role-playing, injury and crime scene photo assessment, interview and interrogation techniques, courtroom testimony, and understanding domestic violence dynamics.
The purpose was to better understand one another's roles in serving victims and their families and in the process save lives.
Women die at the hands of an intimate partner at a higher rate in Oklahoma than in all but a few other states.
"I had a goal from my first year (2006) on the job as an advocate to have this large training. It became obvious that there were some gaps in the process for victims. I wanted law enforcement to think of domestic violence as the crime it is and to give it the same attention to detail as other crimes they work. This includes writing good reports, backing that report with evidence photos and statements, having a clear understanding who the aggressor is in these cases, understand victimology, and be able to testify in court in a clear and concise manner," Gay said.
"The training also included many service providers, from nursing students to therapists, to family service workers. I see way too much blaming each other for failing to do our part as the reason we are not making a dent in this horrific crime that affects so many. This training gave those that are not law enforcement the opportunity to actually put themselves in the police officers' shoes as they work a domestic violence case. It became clear that working such a crime scene is not simple."
"This type of training builds respect and rapport among agencies that serve victims and their families. That alone will improve the lives of victims. When victims receive compassionate, consistent responses throughout the legal and service process, they are more likely to leave the danger sooner, hence saving lives."
Marshall County Undersheriff Danny Cryer taught the sections on report writing and injury and crime scene photography.
Cryer and Marietta Assistant Police Chief Ron Bolton enacted a mock domestic violence scenario for which the class members suggested questions that police should be asking to determine the ongoing lethality threat to the victim.
David Police Assistant Chief Dee Gregory taught interview and interrogation techniques and dominant aggressor assessment.
District Attorney Craig Ladd taught courtroom testimony.
Gay taught the dynamics of domestic violence, including what causes victims to be afraid to leave aggressors.