HANCOCK COUNTY — A national expert on domestic violence spent a day training local officials in Hancock County who serve domestic violence survivors.
Dottie Davis, a nationally recognized domestic violence expert with a background in law enforcement, presented the workshop to approximately 70 law enforcement officers early this month.
The gathering, held in Cumberland, included officials from the Department of Child Services, sexual assault nurses, 911 dispatchers, prosecutors, victim advocates, forensic interviewers and others from all over Indiana serving domestic violence survivors.
Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton noted the training was part of an ongoing effort on behalf of crime victims and stated the day was made possible through a grant from the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence and was organized by Eaton’s chief deputy prosecutor, Aimee Herring.
“Domestic violence victims are most often in very difficult and dangerous circumstances,” Eaton said. “The Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to doing everything in our power to advocate for these vulnerable members of our community.”
Davis, who is a renowned expert on the topic of domestic violence, has an extensive background in law enforcement, which includes 32 years with the Fort Wayne Police Department where she attained the rank of deputy chief and served as director of training. She was named Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She is a former hostage negotiator and a graduate of the National FBI Academy. Davis is owner of Davis Corporate Training, Inc., a private consulting firm focusing on violence prevention.
“After this training, discussions at the prosecutor’s office have already begun to plan for implementing new protocols regarding lethality assessments, standard questions to ask when interviewing a survivor, strangulation protocols and firearm surrenders,” Herring said.
Herring said the prosecutor’s office has seen some of the same issues impacting larger communities across the country also trending in this area — specifically, increased reports of domestic violence and more children being witnesses or victims and more generational violence.
While Herring noted Hancock County is considered a safe community, there was a domestic violence homicide last year and an attempted domestic violence homicide in 2021.
“However, one in any given year is too many,” Herring said.
One of the reasons she wanted to bring the training to Hancock County officials was data showing grim statistics for Hoosiers.
“Data from 2020-21 shows an 181% increase in domestic violence homicides in Indiana compared to 2019-20,” Herring said. “Obviously, there is still a lot of work to do.”
The Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence fatality report for 2020-21 showed 1 to 5 domestic violence fatalities reported in Delaware and Madison counties, 6 to 10 reported in Hamilton County and more than 16 in Marion County.
With neighboring counties contributing significantly to the fatality statistics, Herring said, Hancock County wants to continue learning best practices for effectively responding to cases of domestic and family violence so they can help stop domestic violence before a homicide occurs.
Shannon Crull, who works as a Victim’s Coordinator with the Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office, said the day was well-spent.
“Even after years of working with survivors, I learned so much from this training,” Crull said. “Davis gave me tangible ways to improve the way I communicate with survivors, law enforcement and service providers. I am looking forward to using these new techniques to better serve survivors.”
Officials noted if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.
