New approach to domestic violence in Warren to help victims, hold suspects accountable
Domestic violence victims receiving in-person follow-up visits from police; offenders receiving court-ordered counseling as a condition of bond, and a dedicated court day for domestic violence cases are a few of the new ways Warren police and other partners are approaching domestic violence incidents in Michigan's third most populous city.
The initiative is reflective of its name, Operation Cycle Break, and is an effort to break the cycle of domestic violence, reduce assaults, get help to victims and offenders and streamline the court process to resolve cases quicker in an effort to prevent more serious situations in Warren.
Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins said a majority of major cases in the city, including many homicides, had a domestic violence nexus, with more than 9,000 domestic violence calls for service in the last two years. He and other stakeholders discussed details about the new initiative June 6 at Warren police headquarters.
Hawkins said he believes this more proactive and wholistic approach will have a "profound" impact on the community and has seen some encouraging points in its first 30 days. Among them:
Mandatory training for all officers with Turning Point Macomb.
Eighty-eight percent of warrant authorizations for domestic incidents, a 33% increase in warrant authorizations for the same time period last year.
More than 20 offenders have been mandated by the court to enroll in batterer intervention counseling as a condition of bond.
Contact was made with about 80% of victims after an initial incident, making sure their needs are heard. Hawkins said 37 cases were victims who were unreachable by the court or prosecutor's office. In the past, those cases may have slipped through the cracks.
Arrests were made in nearly 93% of cases where a warrant was authorized.
"This past Wednesday alone, in court, (the new dedicated court day), all 12 domestic violence cases on the docket saw full participation, something that we've been told is very rare and may never happen, " Hawkins said. "Every victim had the chance to be heard, and all suspects were present and accounted for."
Wayne State University will collect and review data about the strategy, providing information to refine and improve the effort.
Warren Mayor Lori Stone said the idea is a result of "smart, forward-thinking public safety," with its core to break the cycle of abuse and educate and assist people to get the help they need.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said the strategy confronts domestic violence head-on, provides early intervention, does not leave survivors behind and holds offenders accountable — an idea that he hopes other communities will implement. In 2023, he said, his office pursued more than 530 cases of domestic violence in the county, most for upper-level felonies, with cases trending the same way last year.
"We're not making a difference. We're just going through the motions," he said, adding that he is optimistic the new initiative will change that.
In 2019, Lucido said 29% of victims were receiving help. Now, he said, more than 65% of victims are getting help. Last year, he said, more than 5,000 victims were supported by the crime victim advocate program.
The number of domestic violence incidents, offenders and victims has risen in Michigan from 2019 to 2023, according to Michigan State Police statistics, with 67,816 incidents in 2023 and 73,220 victims.
Chief Judge John Chmura of Warren's 37th District Court said he has seen tens of thousands of domestic violence cases in his 29 years on the bench. What he hasn't seen are two new facets of this initiative, the first being a condition of bond for a defendant in a domestic violence case to get counseling.
Chmura said the defendant will have to report to the court's probation department within 48 hours and be referred to a number of counseling centers to sign up for as a condition of bail. While counseling is not unusual in such cases, he said, it's not been required up front.
"We've never seen anything like this," he said, adding that he hopes this will help break the cycle of violence.
Chmura said the court also dedicated Wednesdays as the day to hear domestic violence cases. Any of the court's four judges can hear the cases, he said, and the hope is to get cases before a judge in 14 days or fewer. He said a defendant could be sent to jail if they don't do what is required.
Sharman Davenport, president and CEO of Turning Point Macomb, said the need for this type of coordinated effort has become increasingly urgent. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, there has been a rise in the frequency and lethality of domestic violence in the county.
She said the criminal justice path can be long and traumatic for survivors, and abusers can use threats to force survivors back into silence. She said she believes this effort will approach these barriers head-on by imbedding advocacy in the first interaction and reducing the time to hold offenders accountable, reducing intimidation time.
Hawkins said police moved resources around within the department's existing budget to ensure officers can do the visitations. Turning Point Macomb is anticipating more cases, Davenport said, and will work within its budget to accommodate survivors as well continue to accept donations and have events to raise money for the services it provides.
More: Oakland County sheriff's deputies found loaded weapons at high school graduation in Pontiac
Police said the initiative will fill in gaps that occurred in the past, such as follow-ups only being done by phone, not in person; victims and offenders not being connected with resources they needed, and victims getting a court date letter in the mail up to 90 days after an incident.
Also, there were not unannounced welfare checks for victims or suspects routinely conducted; lethality assessments were not being completed; batterer intervention counseling was not offered at bond, and case progress was not systemically monitored for effectiveness.
Now, officers will be required to complete a multi-question lethality assessment to identify high-risk situations and prioritize response. Suspects will receive a letter informing them police will monitor their behavior post-custody as well as a pamphlet with local services to seek help.
Within 10 days of an incident, detectives personally will follow-up with victims to ensure they are safe and that offenders are complying with no-contact orders. The Wednesday court dates also allow police, victim advocates and others to be present. If a defendant fails to appear, police will locate them and bring them to court.
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press.
Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: New strategy to tackle domestic violence announced in Warren
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Domestic violence victims receiving in-person follow-up visits from police; offenders receiving court-ordered counseling as a condition of bond, and a dedicated court day for domestic violence cases are a few of the new ways Warren police and other partners are approaching domestic violence incidents in Michigan's third most populous city. The initiative is reflective of its name, Operation Cycle Break, and is an effort to break the cycle of domestic violence, reduce assaults, get help to victims and offenders and streamline the court process to resolve cases quicker in an effort to prevent more serious situations in Warren. Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins said a majority of major cases in the city, including many homicides, had a domestic violence nexus, with more than 9,000 domestic violence calls for service in the last two years. He and other stakeholders discussed details about the new initiative June 6 at Warren police headquarters. Hawkins said he believes this more proactive and wholistic approach will have a "profound" impact on the community and has seen some encouraging points in its first 30 days. Among them: Mandatory training for all officers with Turning Point Macomb. Eighty-eight percent of warrant authorizations for domestic incidents, a 33% increase in warrant authorizations for the same time period last year. More than 20 offenders have been mandated by the court to enroll in batterer intervention counseling as a condition of bond. Contact was made with about 80% of victims after an initial incident, making sure their needs are heard. Hawkins said 37 cases were victims who were unreachable by the court or prosecutor's office. In the past, those cases may have slipped through the cracks. Arrests were made in nearly 93% of cases where a warrant was authorized. 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In 2023, he said, his office pursued more than 530 cases of domestic violence in the county, most for upper-level felonies, with cases trending the same way last year. "We're not making a difference. We're just going through the motions," he said, adding that he is optimistic the new initiative will change that. In 2019, Lucido said 29% of victims were receiving help. Now, he said, more than 65% of victims are getting help. Last year, he said, more than 5,000 victims were supported by the crime victim advocate program. The number of domestic violence incidents, offenders and victims has risen in Michigan from 2019 to 2023, according to Michigan State Police statistics, with 67,816 incidents in 2023 and 73,220 victims. Chief Judge John Chmura of Warren's 37th District Court said he has seen tens of thousands of domestic violence cases in his 29 years on the bench. 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