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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 12-25 Cities take firm stand on violence into future PIONEER PRESS LocalPage 1 of 3 Cities take firm stand on violence into future > Domestic violence County program proves illuminating for White Bear Lake, Maplewood Ramsey County By Tory Cooney vcooney@pioneerpress.com After two years of aggressive prosecution funded by a Ramsey County pilot program, Maplewood and White Bear Lake have seen more domestic violence convictions, more trials, fewer dismissals and fewer downgraded charges. And that won’t be changing anytime soon, officials say. Both suburbs allocated additional funds to maintain their enhanced approach to domestic violence cases, which requires more thorough investigation, intense witness care and a willingness to go to court. “It’s very important,” White Bear Lake Mayor Jo Emerson said. “We don’t allow it here, end of discussion. People need know we take a hard approach on this.” White Bear Lake has budgeted an additional $10,000 over 2016 to cover the effort, while Maplewood is adding $60,000 to its budget. Both cities’ investments in the program is to cover increased prosecution costs. “While we’re spending more time on these cases, these are the cases we should spend more time on,” Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell said. “This can be homicide prevention. We want to make sure that those families have protection and safety. That’s what this is about.” THE PROJECT When the Ramsey County Joint Domestic Abuse Prosecution Enhancement Project launched in 2015, prosecutor Anna Christie was loaned out to the two suburbs. Stationed in Maplewood’s police headquarters, she trained officers on how to collect more evidence, coached city prosecutors on legal strategy and tried cases. Her proximity to the officers was so “extremely helpful,” Maplewood plans to keep an attorney stationed in the police department into the CONTINUED FROM 1B future, Schnell said. http://saintpaulpioneerpress.mn.newsmemory.com/ee/_nmum/_default_bb_include_infra...12/29/2016 LocalPage 2 of 3 “What we found was having (an attorney) there made a big difference in terms of involvement with the officers,” he said. “She was able to address and tweak approaches and help problem solve on some of the cases as they progress.” Investigators from both departments began spending more time on cases and doing it sooner, following up with victims the next day instead of the next week. They gathered more evidence to construct cases in such a way that they didn’t rely entirely on victim testimonies. Those lessons have become ingrained into the way officers do their work, according to both Schnell and White Bear Lake Police Chief Julie Swanson. The pilot project also provided nearly $100,000 for the Tubman Center in Maplewood, which provides victim advocacy services to both police departments. The funding has allowed advocates to connect with victims and witnesses earlier, help them attend court hearings and provide translators. “They’re the glue,” Swanson said of the victim advocates. “The people at Tubman are the ones getting victims and witnesses to cooperate. They’re a less intimidating contact for people. … We couldn’t do it without them.” While evidence-based prosecution tactics mean victim testimony isn’t necessary for all cases, involvement can make a big difference. “If (a defendant) sees the whites of their victims’ eyes in the courtroom, if they see that they’re actually there, they’re going to plead,” White Bear Lake city attorney Robb Olson said. Victim support and witness participation — particularly witnesses who are close friends or relatives of the victim — can help keep them “on board” with prosecution efforts, Olson said. During the first year of the program, the number of victims participating in the prosecution of their abusers increased from 70 percent to 83 percent. Maplewood is looking into different ways to contribute to Tubman to help offset the loss of funds received through the pilot program. One possibility is designating a portion of the department’s forfeiture funds to help domestic assault victims, Schnell said. A BROAD IMPACT More convictions and fewer disorderly conduct pleas and dismissals hold offenders accountable. When someone is convicted of a domestic violence offense, each subsequent offense carries a greater penalty. Domestic violence convictions can also determine whether an offender receives treatment or is allowed to buy a gun. They also give victims a chance to break away. “If we do well here and make a difference here, we don’t only have the potential to save lives,” Schnell said. “If we can successfully intervene, we have girls less likely to witness abuse, which will make them less likely to engage with an abusive partner when they’re older. And we have boys who are less likely of becoming abusers and batterers themselves. We have to take the long view of this.” http://saintpaulpioneerpress.mn.newsmemory.com/ee/_nmum/_default_bb_include_infra...12/29/2016 LocalPage 3 of 3 By the end of the program’s first year, 64 percent of White Bear Lake cases were convicted under domestic violence statutes, an increase from less than 40 percent. In 2015, White Bear Lake dismissed only 11 percent of its domestic violence cases. In previous years, it was dismissing as many as 30 percent. Maplewood dismissed only 30 percent of its cases, down from 46 percent. “Overall, I think the goals have all been achieved, and I think that the communities are happy with the project and invested in sustaining these outcomes,” said Ramsey County Attorney John Choi. “You have to invest in it. You can’t just expect better outcomes.” Sunday, 12/25/2016 Pag.B01Copyright © 2016, St. Paul Pioneer Press. Please review new arbitration language here. 12/25/2016 http://saintpaulpioneerpress.mn.newsmemory.com/ee/_nmum/_default_bb_include_infra...12/29/2016