dt4 -CAPE GAZETYE, Friday, September 13.- SeptemberA9,1996
Cape Region tragedy spurs massive domestic violence training
Delaware first state in nation
to implement special program
By Kerry Kester
In response to a tragedy that
struck a Milton family on June 8,
Delaware government officials
have renewed their commitment
to place domestic violence as a
priority, for both law enforcement
and human services agencies,
through its implementation of a
new training program for law en-
forcement supervisors.
The training program is the first
in the nation to use federal fuM-
ing from the Violence Against
Women Act for the purpose of in-
creasing awareness and technical
skill for emergency personnel
who confront domestic violence.
Three hundred law enforcement
supervisors from both municipal
police departments and the
Delaware State Police will partic-
ipate in six two-day sessions that
will be held throughout the state.
Experts from national, state and
local levels will present seminars
addressing the issues associated
with domestic violence.
Included in the training will be
such issues as the nature, scope
and sequence of domestic vio-
lence, followed by seminars on
victim services; laws; the dis-
patch, response, investigation,
documentation and arrest proce-
dures; preparing a case for trial;
probation and parole; and other is-
sues. Funding for the training
program will come from a
$64,000 Violence Against
Women Act's Services-Training-
Officers-Prosecution (STOP) fed-
eral grant.
Lessons from tragedy
Although domestic violence has
long been of interest to politicians
and police in Delaware, when
Tamara Wiers, 27, was murdered
by her estranged husband, James
"Chris" Wiers, 28, who also killed
Tamara's mother, Elizabeth Mill-
man, and then himself, officials
strengthened their resolve to im-
plement even tighter measures to
assure the safety of those caught
in the domestic violence cycle.
"I still get a sickening feeling in
my stomach when I recall the
night I heard about the death of
Tamara Wiers and her mother,"
said Gee. Tom Carper on Mon-
day, Sept. 9 when he joined Sen.
Joe Biden and others at the
Delaware State Police Academy
in Dover to announce the new
training program.
"'Each year, six million women
are beaten by their husbands or
boyfriends," said Carper, noting
that children often stand by and
watch the violence unfold before
them. "Tragedy has taught us
some hard lessons," he said.
Carper announced Friday, Aug.
30 that the state has implemented
or will implement a dozen new
procedural changes in the 911 sys-
tem. He said on Monday that the
state wants to assure that "when
there is a threat as there was to
Tammy, we respond quickly."
To assure that, he said, it is nec-
essary for law enforcement offi-
cials to have "meaningful train-
ing" that would teach them the
best methods for diffusing situa-
tions while retaining optimal safe-
ty for all those involved, including
police. "It's not an easy thing to
do," he said, but added that he be-
lieves it is something that "will
save a lot of people a lot of
heartache in the years to come."
Carper issued an executive or-
der in February of 1995 to create
the Violence Against Women Act
Implementation Committee,
which was instrumental in devel-
oping the new training program.
In May of 1995, Carper signed the
bill that qualified Delaware for
$426,000 from the federal funding
umbrella under which the new
training program falls.
Carper also signed a domestic
violence bill package sponsored
by Sen. Patricia Blevins (D-
Elsmere) in July of 1993. That
package was aimed at curbing do-
mestic violence through victim
protection laws, stiffer laws for
perpetrators, and increased train-
ing for state attorneys.
Law enforcement key
Biden said at the conference
that Delaware is the fast state in
the nation to use the federal fund-
ing provided by the Violence
Against Women Act, enacted in
1994 as part of the Biden Crime
Bill package, for the purpose of
training emergency personnel.
The effort to initiate the program
was a collaboration between law
enforcement agencies, human ser-
vices agencies such as hospitals,
victim services and others, as well
as governmental agencies such as
the Attorney General's office.
Biden said when police officers
receive a domestic call, 'q'hat's
the last place you want to go...al-
ways, there is confusion." Usual-
ly, he said, there are drugs and al-
cohol. The calls simply are not as
clear-cut as those for a bank rob-
bery, for example, said Biden.
'q'his is not that simple. It's more
complicated; it's more danger-
ous," he said.
The new training program, he
said, will enhance the "thinking
related to domestic violence.
There is no margin for error here."
Biden said in an interview that the
thinking to which he referred is
that which is reflected in studies
and research that indicates many
people - of all ages, both genders,
all races and mixed ethnicity -
have certain tolerance levels for
domestic violence, and he be-
lieves no level of tolerance is ac-
ceptable.
Paramedics
By Kerry Kester
Sussex County Emergency
Medical Services Paramedic Unit
104 has moved from its temporary
home at Airport Motel on Rt. 1 to
its new home in Colonial East
Mobile Home Park. The move
will increase response time as
well as save money for the county.
According to George Torbert,
Sussex County Emergency Med-
ical Services operations manager,
when the unit moved from its Five
Points location near the Rt. 1 and
Rt. 9 intersection to its temporary
home at the motel, the average re-
spouse time dropped two minutes.
According to Larry Rock, a
paramedic with Unit 104, the lack
of a traffic light where the station
was located slowed down the
unit's response time. "At times,
we'd be waiting there for minutes
- waiting for traffic to let us in,"
said Rock.
At the motel, he said, the unit
relocate to better serve Cape Region
could access both north and south
lanes on Rt. 1, there was less of a
problem with traffic, so the re-
sponse time improved. But the
new location, he said, is even bet-
ter. The new location, "is actually
saving us time. It's helping us get
out a lot quicker," said Rock.
"Now we're geographically
centralized," said Lars Granholm,
paramedic. The unit's southern
boundary is the Indian River Inlet
Bridge, with its northern boundary
ending at Rt. 16 and its western
limit near the Holly Lake area on
Rt. 24.
Granholm said the new location
is closer to both fire districts that
Unit 104 serves - the Rehoboth
Beach Volunteer Fire Company
and the Lewes Volunteer Fire De-
partment. Since paramedics work
closely with private ambulance
companies and those affiliated
with fire departments, Granholm
said it will help improve services
to be closer to each.
Like ambulance attendants,
paramedics are trained to provide
basic life support. However, the
bulk of their work is in providing
advanced life support services to
patients and making pharmaco-
logical interventions. The para-
medics meet ambulances at calls,
initiate treatment, then ambu-
lances provide transportation to
medical facilities.
The medics also travel in the
ambulances when needed to con-
tinue treatment. Each unit is
staffed with two medics, so if one
is in route with a patient, the other
can remain on call. Additionally,
in cases such as an accident where
there is more than one victim,
both medics can begin treatment.
Granholm said that the move to
a more centralized location has
had an unexpected benefit as well.
"Coincidentally, we just happen to
Continued on page 20
Kerry Kestw photo
Sen. Joe Biden Oeft) and Delaware State Police Superinten-
dent CoL Alan Ellingsworth received a round of applause as
they announced to the public on Monday, Sept. 9 that
Delaware is the first state in the nation to implement a pro-
gram using funding from the Violence Against Women Act,
which paased in 1994. Delaware will use some of ira funding
to provide a program involving a cellaborative effort between
several state agencies, with a key component berg special-
ized training for law enforcement supervisors in both munie-
pal and the state police agencies.
"When there is a protection or-
der, then you stay away. Period,"
said Biden, adding that the next
step is to bring the perpetrator to
justice. Biden praised police for
being the ones "to step into this
void where angels have feared to
tread."
"Delaware is not unlike many
other areas of the country," said
Delaware State Police Superinten-
dent Col. Alan Ellingsworth.
"The incidence of domestic vio-
lence is on the increase, not only
in numbers but in severity. In-
creased training...is just one of the
many steps to be taken. It will un-
doubtedly enhance our efforts
tremendously."
What is important to the state
police, said Ellingsworth, is "han-
dling domestic violence com-
plaints properly the fast time and
every time. We are very excited
about this training."
In addition to the training
amongst law enforcement agen-
cies and officials, Attorney Gen-
eral Jane Brady said her office is
also engaging in conducting train-
ing seminars for the clergy. Some
of that training, she said, will be
conducted by speakers from the
National College of District Attor-
neys.
Biden wants more
Biden said in an interview that
although he is elated with the
progress Delaware is making in its
efforts to reduce domestic vio-
lence rates and improve safety for
those caught in the domestic vio-
lence web, there is much more on
his agenda.
A new arrest policy, for exam-
ple, is something on which he is
currently working. One idea he is
pursuing, he said, came from
Seattle, Wash., where first time
offenders are arrested. "You will
see a change," he said, "with the
fast guy who beats up his wife."
In Seattle, he said, after the policy
was implemented, "the incidence
of domestic violence dropped 38
percent."
Needed for such a change,
Biden explained, is a more sophis-
ticated computerized system. An
increased victim services program
would also be a plus - including
providing a victim's advocate for
a woman who may have been hos-
pitalized as a result of the violent
act.
Statistics show that the time
women are most inclined to take
action against a perpetrator is im-
mediately following an incident,
said Biden. The typical abused
woman syndrome shows women
losing their courage to pursue
prosecution as time elapses. An
intensified victim services pro-
gram, said Biden, could help
women keep their resolve to break
the abusive cycle.
Another change Biden would
like to see is tighter interpretation
and enforcement of Protection
From Abuse orders (PFAs). He
said that historically if a perpetra-
tor was accused of violating a
PFA, before any prosecution oc-
curred, an investigation would be
conducted to try to determine if
perhaps the contact violation may
have been "accidental."
"Men use that as intimidation,"
said Biden. In Massachusetts, he
said, a law was passed where there
were no acceptable circumstances
for violating an order with a prox-
imity restriction. The violators
were simply arrested. Biden said
he would like to see such a law
enacted in Delaware - a "zero tol-
erance" concept, per se.
"The courts have been very co-
operative," he said, so he believes
there is hope of seeing such a
change come to Delaware.
"You're still not going to get them
all. Some of these cases are in-
credibly complicated," said
Biden. "Maybe it will only save
one woman." But saving even
one woman, he said, is an accept-
able goal.
