West Virginia is Moving in the Right Direction

Thursday was Domestic Violence Prevention Day at the state capitol, and West Virginia is definitely moving in the right direction. YWCA representatives joined other advocates for victims of domestic violence to educate lawmakers and the public about the issue. They also showed their support for House Bill 2739 which, among other things, calls for Emergency Protective Orders to be served faster. See the WOWK-TV news story about this day at the legislature.

West Virginia has made another giant step toward ensuring officer safety and better enforcing domestic violence orders, when the Supreme Court of Appeals launched an initiative last week to facilitate communication about domestic violence protection orders to law enforcement. This new statewide Domestic Violence Registry is a tool to communicate the court’s actions on domestic violence cases to law enforcement. The registry will create a bridge between the courts and the police, so police are always able to access up-to-date information about domestic violence cases.

According to Mary Anderson, Court Coordinator at the YWCA Resolve Family Abuse Program:

"The domestic violence registry will ensure officer safety and
better enforcement of domestic violence orders. This will enhance victim safety.
When law enforcement officers answer domestic calls, being able to physically
see a copy of the protective order and know the history of why the order was
issued will better equip them to assess the scene. When law
enforcement have the ability to use this nationally, it will greatly aid
the enforcement of domestic violence petitions on a national level. Nine
counties within the state of West Virginia are up and running, with a target
date of the fall of 2009 for the rest of the state."

See an additional interview with Mary here.