SF police domestic violence MUST
As mostly a bedroom community, South Fayette police Chief John Phoennik said domestic violence calls are among the most common for the department.Along with calls for traffic control and alarms, Phoennik said the department receives about 150 domestic violence calls each year.Starting this spring, about 25 police departments in Allegheny County, including South Fayette, are instituting a program to better help victims of domestic violence.?This will help reduce violent crime against domestic violence victims,? Phoennik said.Being a part of the Lethality Assessment Program means officers will be able to use their ?instincts? to help the victim. In the past, officers would solve the dispute for the night but didn?t seek to help the victim long term.?If our officers are on scene and they believe that this person is in a situation that could turn out to escalate into a bad situation where she would get hurt or even worse killed, he has a checklist of questions that he asks her,? Phoennik said. ?Based on the number of those questions that are answered, if she falls into that criteria, the officer immediately calls an advocate through this program.?Depending on the victim?s response, the officer can contact them with the Center for Victims, a nonprofit organization that provides services and education for crime victims.?The advocate talks to the woman; they go with them to the hearings and the court trial dates,? Phoennik said. ?There?s always somebody there with the victim so they don?t feel like they?re alone.?Phoennik said officers have a lot to handle when dealing with domestic violence calls, so this program will allow them to take a step back and assess the safety of the victim. It will also allow the victim a chance to step back and talk about the situation with an advocate.?Sometimes when you?re in the middle of it, (the victim) can?t see that (he or she) is in a very dangerous situation that?s ready to explode. So an expert comes in and then you talk to a person who directs you on what you need to do. It follows through with you more than what the police were able to do.?According to the Allegheny County District Attorney?s Office, more than 60 percent of domestic violence victims in 2016 were in ?high danger.?In a letter to the Allegheny County police chiefs, county district attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. wrote that only 4 percent of domestic violence murder victims nationwide had ever received domestic violence program services prior to their death. That statistic, Phoennik said, is one of the main reasons for this program and why it?s worth taking the extra 10 minutes to do the assessment.?It?s just another way of having us more involved in the protection of domestic violence victims,? Phoennik said. ?It might save a life.?