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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 02152000 - SD2 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS +f`' a 1* CONTRA COSTA FROM: Supervisor Donna Gerber ,� r COUNTY District III �= :av DATE: February 8, 2000 SUBJECT: Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION(S): 1. RECOGNIZE that the District Attorney,and Sheriff have identified domestic violence as a priority for law enforcement through their allocation of local Law Enforcement Block Grant funds to support domestic violence initiatives, including staff resources for investigation and prosecution; development of standardized protocols for recording evidence and evidentiary statements; creation of a countywide data base on domestic violence reports; and collaboration with Battered Women's Alternatives for law enforcement officers' training. 2. RECOGNIZE that the Board of Supervisors also has given priority to domestic violence issues, funding an attorney and investigator for Domestic Violence cases in the District Attorney's office in the FY 99-00 budget as well as the preparation of a countywide violence prevention plan. 3. RECOGNIZE that many groups and organizations in the County such as Battered Women's Alternatives, have devoted enormous resources to raising funds to support public education, prevention, and victim protection programs. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: —YES SIGNATURE: sot _ RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR ,RECOMMENDATION OARD COMMITTEE —APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED_.OTHER X APPROVED the recommendations and DIRECTED that recommendation number 11 be amended to include the American Medical Association and the California Medical Association in addition to Battered Women's Alternatives. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A UNANIMOUS(ABSENT l") i�. ) TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN AYES: NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ON MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact: / .d _Ji' � !�-�_1 J' ��i06 ATTESTED PHIL BATCH R,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR cc: CAO BY ,DEPUTY a. 4. ACKNOWLEDGE that despite our collective efforts, domestic violence is a continuing, stubborn crime primarily committed against women and children that cuts across all socio-economic boundaries affecting all parts of our County and which is growing in magnitude: felony filings increased 62% between 1998 and 1999. 5. RECOGNIZE that children who live with domestic violence are too often destined to repeat the pattern of batterer or victim when they become adults, giving even greater urgency to the need to break the cycle of domestic violence. 6. DECLARE that it is the policy of the Board of Supervisors that there shall be ZERO TOLERANCE for DOMESTIC VIOLENCE in Contra Costa County. 7. Furthermore, DECLARE the Board of Supervisors' intent to place priority on Domestic Violence in its consideration of law enforcement resources and programs in this year's budget. 8. DIRECT the County Administrator to convene the appropriate departments and staff to develop recommendations to the Board regarding the following Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence program concepts with concurring budget implications. > Increasing the impact of current mandatory arrest policy to reduce repeat offenses. > Supporting the successful prosecution of felony and misdemeanor domestic violence cases. ➢ Ensuring that all battered women have alternatives that will ensure their safety, and the safety of their children, utilizing multi-disciplinary teams for immediate intervention for families that will lead to successful, independent lives. ➢ Creating a ZERO TOLERANCE continuum of best practices on preventing and prosecuting domestic violence. 9. REQUEST the Sheriff and District Attorney to lead the discussion of these concepts and to share their recommendations on how to achieve the goal of zero tolerance in law enforcement and prosecution of domestic violence. 10. REQUEST Health Services and Child Protective Services to join this discussion to determine how best to intervene on behalf of children and families in domestic violence cases. 11. REQUEST Battered Women's Alternatives to share their views on these matters with the County Administrator, Sheriff, District Attorney, Health Services, and Child Protective Services so they can be considered in the report to the Board. BACKGROUND/REASON(S) FOR RECOMMENDATION(S): The Battered Women's Alternatives (BWA) sponsors a luncheon each year in Contra Costa County. The luncheon raises funds to support BWA programs that help battered women escape from domestic violence and build a new life of independence and economic security. The fundraising luncheons are a major event in our County, not just because they raise money to support the Battered Women's Alternatives' programs, but also because they are so important in raising our consciousness regarding this cancer in our society. Many refuse to acknowledge the problems of domestic violence in our community. Yet, at each of the BW luncheons it is traditional to ask attendees who know someone who has been a victim of domestic violence to stand up. Very few people in a room of over 1000 remain seated - a telling demonstration of the prevalence of domestic violence. In 1997, Contra Costa law enforcement agencies documented 5,519 domestic violence related calls for assistance (latest data). Over 88% of these calls involved harmful physical contact, that is, battering'by fists, hands or feet. Often children witnessed this battering. According' to Sheriffs data, between July 1997 and June 1998, children were present during 34% of all documented domestic violence incidents. Not only is this harmful to the child, but also contributes to 2 3 continuing the cycle of violence against women. Research shows that boys who witness abuse are more likely to become adult abusers than are boys from nonviolent homes. Domestic violence is a behavior that cannot be accepted in the twenty-first century. The consequences of domestic violence must be char, substantial, swift and strictly enforced. Our County needs to put in place a range of systems to eliminate tolerance of domestic violence within our communities; to support prevention and early intervention in ways that are effective and to ensure that domestic violence is recognized as a serious crime and treated as a serious crime. Both the Sheriff and District Attorney have made domestic violence priorities in their departments within their current resource limits. The District Attorney has a special unit devoted to domestic violence cases, staffed with four Deputy District Attorneys. All felony cases are vertically prosecuted; i.e., the same Deputy DA handles the case in all phases of the prosecution. The Sheriff has taken a dead in Contra Costa County in developing the standardized format used to report evidentiary statements collected at the scene of the crime by the responding officer. The Sheriff has also taken the lead in developing a data base used by his office and local police departments on all domestic violence reports. The standardized forms and data base have been very helpful in supporting successful prosecution of domestic violence cases. Working together, the. Sheriff, District Attorney and Battered Women's Alternatives have put together training for Sheriffs Deputies and police officers. On the human services side, the Board of Supervisors authorized an allocation of $75,000 from the GRIP fund for the development of a violence prevention plan in Contra Costa County. This effort is being staffed by the Health Services Department's Community Wellness and Prevention Program, which has convened a Violence Prevention Coalition to guide development of the plan. In addition, BWA is working with the Employment and Human Services Department to link with Child Protective Services and CalWORKs, since domestic violence is often a barrier to successful employment and an underlying cause of child abuse or neglect. It is clear that domestic violence is a concern within many county departments and among our community at large. The Board of Supervisors needs to clearly state that ZERO TOLERANCE for DOMESTIC VIOLENCE is of highest priority for law enforcement. We need to better understand the role of law enforcement in eliminating domestic,violence, to understand the current resources and the limitations of those resources and to identify priorities for the allocation of new resources 3 REQUEST TO SPEAK FORM 0 (THREE (3)MINUTE LIMIT) Complete this farm and place it in the box near the speakers" rostrum before addressing the Board. Name: Phone: DL 3(000 h Address: �_ C qo� City: & I am speaking for myself or organization: 64&Wd 0;140 C (name of aawmiaa6m) CHECK ONE: I wish to speak on Agenda Item# -- Date: C� My comments will be: general for against I wish to speak on the subject of I do not wish to speak but leave these comments for the Board to Consider: REQUEST TO SPEAK FORM (THREE (3)MINUTE LIMIT) Complete this form and place it in the box near the speakers' rostrum before addressing the Board. Name: _ ( (iQ 3- _%rJawa Phone:.L`q,)YJ.�'r-0.3 0//c') Address: rCity: (, / 9 X lam speaking for myself or organisation: ;P''ed QgV 5 f /1?ojj vWr CHECK ONE: (UMM of organization) .,, I wish to speak on Agenda Item# _,— Date: t,;-/5-00 My comments will be: general for X_ against I wish to speak on the subject of I do not wish to speak but leave these comments for the Beard to Consider: