Thirteen area residents graduated Thursday to become members of Hudson County’s first-ever Domestic Violence Victim Response Team. Over the last 12 weeks, the dedicated volunteers underwent 40 hours of training to be part of the response team. Starting August 5, the team will be on call to provide 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service to domestic violence victims in Hoboken.
"We will build the bridge between the victim and the process," said volunteer Ines Garcia Keim about the program. "That’s something that has really been lacking."
The program works like this: When police respond to a domestic violence dispute, they will beep the members of the response team. Those members will join the police at the scene to counsel victims. They are also available for follow-up counseling about which direction to take.
The volunteers will be provided with pagers during shifts, through which they can be contacted by the Police Department. The purpose of the program is to empower victims with the informational and emotional support services that enable them to make informed decisions.
Training was a collaborative effort between the Hoboken Police Department and Women Rising Inc. of Jersey City. Women Rising is a non-for-profit organization that has provided family violence prevention, education, and training emergency intervention services in Hudson County for 25 years. As the sole agency serving victims of domestic violence in Hudson County, Women Rising has offered shelter from harm and provided advocacy and counseling services to thousands of women and children, and responded to thousands of hotline calls from those in need of information or assistance.
In concert with the HPD, Women Rising gave volunteers specialized training on topics such as law, sensitivity to the needs of the victims and their children, and how to provide swift, safe, and appropriate response at a very critical time for families.
"This is the type of dedication that we are very proud of," said Joan Cunning of Women Rising, about the hard work of the volunteers. "[These volunteers] will provide women in crisis with options for their next step," she added. "It’s an invaluable service."
Cunningham said there is a period between when the incident occurs and the case is prosecuted in court. She said that during that gap, the victims are often scared and confused and may not know where to turn. A member of the response team will be available to assist those victims and their children through those troubled waters.
The Hoboken Police Department also played an instrumental role in the program. "Domestic violence is a very serious issue in today’s society," Lt. Robert Lisa of the Hoboken Police Department Thursday. "Now the victims of domestic violence have another option to help deal with the everyday obstacles that they face."
Mayor David Roberts also lauded the efforts of the volunteers and police department Thursday. "This program is an example of the Hoboken Police Department being proactive," he said. "They truly are acting in an exemplary fashion."
Another aspect of the program is to make it easier for the victims to make it to the prosecution phase. Several members of the Hudson County Prosecutors’ office were on hand for Thursday’s graduation. They told stories about how many victims drop charges because they did not have proper support system between the assault and their court date.
Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Moran said that the graduates deserve praise. "You all are very bright and articulate," said Moran. "But more than that you are very caring and selfless. You have to be to be willing to go out at all hours of the day and night to assist someone that you don’t even know at one of the worst moments of their entire life."
77,000 in the state
According to the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, 77,680 domestic violence offenses were reported statewide in 2001, the year for which statistics are most currently available. Overall, females were victims in 78 percent of all domestic violence offenses. Wives were the victims in 23 percent of reported domestic violence offenses, and domestic violence arising from a dating relationship accounted for 13 percent of the state total. Children were involved or present during 39 percent of all domestic violence offenses occurring statewide in 2000.
Joining Keim on the inaugural response team are Regina Beatty, Alexandra Doumas, Andrew Goldner, Elise Jimenez, Suzanne Keenan, Martina Millot Keaney, Karla Matamoros, Christine Palestis, Corneliu Rusu, Vanessa Sokolowski, Julie Sloane, and Austreberta Valcarcel. Several of the members of the response team also speak Spanish for those victims that need bilingual support.
For more information about the program or to apply to become a future member of the Hoboken Police Department Domestic Violence Response Team, contact Lt. Robert Lisa of the Hoboken Police Department at (201) 420-5122.