Police Partnership Helps Victims, Deputies

BROOKSVILLE - In the days before the Dawn Center, handling domestic violence issues was a pretty bleak job for deputies at the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

There wasn't any place for victims to go. When conditions at a home were unsafe, deputies would scramble to find short-term solutions through local churches or hotels. Without adequate resources or counseling, victims often returned to their abusers out of desperation, Lt. Mike Owens said.

"It's detrimental to the county. I remember the days without it," he said. "In the old days, people often had to tolerate it because they didn't have the resources, or believed they didn't. We tried with what we had, but it was very limited."

Now, deputies work hand-in-hand with the shelter's staff and regularly arrange transportation to the center for victims when responding to domestic violence situations.

There, victims receive intervention counseling and services, with a safe place to stay while they decide what to do.

A unique privilege and confidentiality agreement allows domestic violence investigator Liz Tinkam to work directly with victims, and victim advocate Tamara Stewart of the sheriff's office also works with residents on a daily basis.

"(Victims) are in a much better place to report domestic violence and have some action taken," Owens said.

With stricter state laws in place, deputies are now required to identify and arrest the primary aggressor. Years ago, the person reporting the abuse often had a choice of whether or not the person was arrested, he said.

Deputies receive state-mandated domestic violence training each year and frequently communicate with shelter staff regarding new legislation and changes in policy.

They also patrol the area and intercept suspicious vehicles lingering near the shelter. They conduct security checks and surveillance, occasionally "cover" the safe house during full-staff training and even help with repairs and maintenance on their days off.

Either way, responding to a domestic violence call is often the most dangerous situation deputies have to respond to, Owens said.

They're walking into someone else's home, they don't know if weapons are involved and emotions are often running rampant. Even the person who initially called the police will often side with the aggressor once a deputy shows up, he said.

The shelter's executive director, Debbie Andrews, said the partnership with the sheriff's office makes a huge difference, particularly with protecting residents from potentially dangerous behavior from abusers that often continues after they have left home.

"All of the deputies - from the sheriff to the road deputies - have zero tolerance for this kind of situation and are very encouraging to women," she said. "They are very good to us, and without them, it would be very hard for us to do what we do."