24 Hour Contact DV Initiative

Transcription

1 24 Hour Contact DV Initiative Patricia Baca Assistant District Attorney Chief of the Domestic Violence Unit District Attorney s Office 34 th Judicial District of Texas Commander Mark Austin Central Regional Command Center El Paso Police Department 6. 3 NOTICE SOME OF THE MATERIAL PRESENTED CAME FROM OTHER WORKS AND IS INTENDED TO BE USED UNDER THE FAIR USE GUIDELINES ALL CLIP ART MICROSOFT, INC THIS MATERIAL WAS PREPARED UNDER CONFU GUIDELINES THIS MATERIAL IS RESTRICTED FROM FURTHER USE OTHER THAN THE CURRENT PRESENTATION

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5 2010 El Paso Domestic Violence All DV Dispatched Calls- 33,348 UCR Reported DV cases DV Arrests- Total Assaults 11,801 Males 2035 Females- 645 Dual Arrests- 56 Total Protective Orders Protective Orders Arrest- 161 DV Murders- None

6 2011 El Paso Domestic Violence Dispatch DV calls- 24,330 DV cases DV Arrest- Total Assaults- 8,661 Male Female- 617 Dual arrests- 22 Protective Orders Arrests- DV Murders- 4 Males -111 Female - 5

7 WHY DOES SHE STAY? FEAR GUILT SOCIETY IMMIGRATION ISOLATION FRIENDS MISPLACED COMPASSION JUST LEAVE HIM!!

8 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE POLICE RESPONSE PREHISTORIC TIMES Separate for the night Who gets arrested What happens to the kids What happens to the case

9 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE POLICE RESPONSE Moving forward Zero Tolerance- arrest made What happens to the kids What happens to the case

10 Lost Victims of Domestic Violence Cycle of violence Felony charges when kids try to save their parents Child witnesses to family violence Breaking the cycle (aggressive/submissive)

11 Identifying the Challenges: Domestic Violence Prosecution in Texas The dynamics of the crime are different. Defendant and victim often live together even after the crime. Defendant and victim often have children. The couple s finances are intertwined. Love. The defendant and the victim already have a relationship.

12 Identifying the Challenges: Domestic Violence Prosecution in Texas Collecting the evidence becomes the key. Crawford and Davis and Hammond Building evidence re forfeiture by wrongdoing 911 Recordings Photographs defendant, victim, etc. Medical records Witnesses Phone records Texts s Jail recordings

13 Addressing the Challenges: The 24 Hour Contact DV Initiative

14 MISSION Victim contacted within 24 hours to ensure her/his safety Victim educated on community resources Defendant aware of the District Attorney Office s importance and involvement in the case

15 24 Hour Contact Team District Attorney Jaime Esparza Chief of the DV Unit Patricia Baca 2 Clerk 2 Secretaries 3 Victim Advocates 2 Investigators

16 Weekly Guests Commander from El Paso Police Dept Victim Advocate from EPPD Representative from CAFV Representative from MHMR

17 DIMS

18 DIMS- Victim Contact Information DIMS No Bond Posted Charges Accepted (By DA) Jail Booking Bond Set By Judge s Schedule Bond Posted Released (3 hours/case) Bond schedule approved by judges expedites bond and improves consistency. Defendants preferring bond set at magistration will see the judge within 24 hours of arrest.

19 CLERKS Clerk (DIMS) Arrives at 7:00a.m. everyday (including weekends/holidays) Runs the DIMS list Inputs all the data Prints cases Request judgments/pen packets Requests all photos Runs criminal histories Clerk (Warrant Cases) Arrives at 7:00a.m. Runs Jail Rooster List Inputs all the data Prints cases Runs Criminal histories Request Judgments/ pen packets Go to the 911 Call Center Download all 911 calls

20 INVESTIGATORS Investigator- Goes to home visits Safety of the victim advocate Order medical records Works on Weekend Investigator- Goes to home visits Safety of the victim advocate Downloads the jail recordings

21 VICTIM ADVOCATES There are 3 assigned to this unit Rotate their schedules to fit the weekend work Advise victims of services such as VAWA, CAFV, and protective orders Take photos of injuries Have victims sign medical release forms Enter their notes into the system (netpads)

22 DISTRICT ATTORNEY Attends every meeting Makes a recommendation for each case (red writing or blood cases) Cannot deviate from that recommendation without prior approval of either himself or Chief of the DV.

23 CHIEF OF THE DV UNIT Attends every meeting Makes recommendation when DA is not present Notifies probation or parole of new arrest Notifies military of arrests involving Soldiers Notifies prosecutors of repeated offenders (Devon Hunt) Discusses cases with prosecutors or defense attorneys in reference to recommendations

24 SECRETARIES Secretary-Recs Writes all recommendations red writing on the files Inputs all recommendations into Case Portal (paperless) Secretary-database Inputs all cases that come through our 24 hour contact unit into the database

25 EPPD COMMANDER Attends the Monday meetings Ensures all photos/videos are downloaded Helps with any follow up investigation Builds a strong collaboration between EPPD and the DA s office

26 CENTER AGAINST FAMILY VIOLENCE (CAFV) Provides services to victims Help us move victims to the shelter when in danger Provide assistance with VAWA

27 Home Visits 2 teams- victim advocate/investigator Clerk informs them if defendant is still in custody Make contact with all victims! Homes, work, friends, 911 caller, hospitals, shelter, UBMC, homeless, and Mexico Since the Inception of this program we have reviewed 6758 cases!

28 24 Hour Contact Meetings Every Weekday Every Monday the meeting starts at 10:30 since weekend cases from 7:00am on Friday to 7:00a.m. on Monday will be covered Tuesday-Friday the meeting will depend on when the home visits have been completed

29 What Happens at the Meetings We ensure that all photos are on the server We download all 911 calls Order medical records Jail recordings Gather additional evidence Discuss all Victim communications Identify the repeat offenders Discuss the best outcome for that case Accept/decline the case

30 Goals Victim Advocate Law Enforcement Prosecutors Culture

31 Victim Advocates Safety of the Victim Empower the Victim with Services Establish a Rapport with the victim Let her/him know someone cares about them ( from Victim)

32 Law Enforcement Collection of Evidence downloaded properly Tagged evidence Better case preparation Hold offender accountable Keep the victim safe

33 Prosecutors Safety of the Victim Hold Offender Accountable Case ready to go to trial the next day More evidence: photos, 24 hour contact photos, medical records, jail recordings, notes from VA reference conversations with the victim

34 Cont d Stronger Cases Recommendation by DA

35 Comprehensive DV Unit Prosecutors trained on problems / challenges / issues Victim s varied responses Victim s non-prosecution statements/ recantations Evidentiary Issues (Crawford, forfeiture by wrong doing) Trial issues (recantations) Daily emphasis/ Importance

36 DV Videos Goals Commander Austin- pilot program Grant for server/cameras/case

37 QUESTIONS

38 Patricia Baca Assistant District Attorney Chief of the Domestic Violence Unit District Attorney s Office pbaca@epcounty.com Phone: Commander Mark Austin Central Regional Command Center El Paso Police Department austinm@elpasotexas.gov (915)