Three years into the program, number of arrests going down

By Leah Shaffer

Since 2005, the Eden Prairie Police have offered a unique model for combating domestic violence in the community through the Domestic Abuse Response Team.

Members of DART follow up on all domestic disputes – whether they involved just verbal arguments, or rose to the level domestic assault.

“That’s where Eden Prairie is unique and I think that’s where it’s making a difference,” said Sgt. Bob Olson, who heads up DART.

The idea is that family violence escalates to the point of violence “after a series of non-violent confrontations,” noted Olson.

DART aims to intervene before violence enters the picture.

Since the program began in the fall of 2005, Eden Prairie has seen a drop in both arrests and calls for service involving domestic disputes. In 2005, there were 422 calls for service, while, in 2008, there were 351. In terms of arrests for domestic assault, 124 arrests were made in 2005, while 99 were arrested in 2008.

The city partners with Cornerstone, a local agency that offers a variety of resources to victims of domestic violence.

“The majority of our referrals come through law enforcement. And when you have a police department that’s willing to be proactive before it gets to that level, you usually see a reduction in arrests being made,” noted Cheryl Kolb-Untinen, who handles Cornerstone’s Legal and Supportive Services Program.

Most of the Cornerstone clients come from the five target cities of Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina, Richfield and St. Louis Park. Kolb-Untinen noted that St. Louis Park also runs a DART program.

Cornerstone also operates Day One Services, a toll-free domestic violence crisis line (1-866-223-1111): This can connect someone to the nearest shelter/safe housing program anywhere in the state.

Kolb-Untinen said those at Cornerstone consider DART “a model program.”

During a March City Council Meeting, Cornerstone’s Executive Director Susan Neis offered more appreciation for Eden Prairie support. She noted that Cornerstone provided 1,147 hours of direct service to Eden Prairie residents “in partnership with law enforcement and in partnership with your city prosecutor.”

“I want you to know that you are the gold standard.”

Neis noted that Eden Prairie’s city prosecutor is one of the few who will prosecute aggressively a “misdemeanor domestic,” a case that might be easy to just overlook.

“That’s not what happens in Eden Prairie,” Neis said. “It may not seem like a big deal, but we know for a fact that the only deterrent for someone who batters is a consequence. And if we provide the consequence of a misdemeanor prosecution and a conviction, the likelihood is that [it] is not gong to escalate to a felony assault or to a homicide.”

With the downturn in the economy, Cornerstone is seeing in increase in need for its services.

“We are seeing longer stays in shelter because there are less places for people to go for emergency shelter,” said Kolb-Untinen.

They have seen a small increase in those choosing to get orders for protection, she noted.

An economic downturn doesn’t cause domestic violence, but in a relationship where that has occurred, as the stress level increases, it can increase “the frequency and severity of assaults that do occur,” Kolb-Untinen said.

DART day-by-day

As one of the police officers on Eden Prairie’s Domestic Abuse Response Team, Officer Ann Bogren follows up on cases of domestic assault. She recalls one case when a victim and her children followed the team’s guidance and contacted Cornerstone.

“She had actually contacted Cornerstone and had taken advantage of their emergency housing for her and her kids,” Bogren said.

In situations of abuse, that action is by no means a given. Because of the cycle of abuse, “a lot of victims don’t leave their abusers,” noted Bogren.

In that particular case, that the victim was able to leave that situation, “was very rewarding.”

Bogren is one of seven members of the DART team. The work is done alongside the full-time work of being a police officer.

Typically, an officer responding to a call will document the circumstances in a report, and forward that report to DART officer, who will follow up with a phone call to those involved.

“The purpose of the phone call is to make sure that they realize that there [are] resources available to help them with their disputes,” said Olson.

Those in domestic cases could need access to help for substance abuse or anger management, for example. Either way, “the officer, in a non-confrontational manner, encourages the people involved to get some outside assistance,” added Olson.

Along with offering assistance, DART members follow up with victims in domestic assaults. They check to see if bruises have shown up and do follow-up documentation of those injuries. It was during one of those instances that a victim once confided in a DART officer, recalled Olson.

This was in case from 2006, and police had been to this particular residence “numerous times.”

Officers determined that the victim had been abused for 19 hours, in one instance.

“In the past the victim had been uncooperative,” noted Olson, but “we didn’t really know why.”

The DART officer got involved, and visited with the victim to photograph bruises.

“The officer established a rapport with the victim by spending time talking and listening.”

It was then that the victim confided in the officer that her sister had been murdered in the early 1990’s. The victim had been living in fear, warned by her abuser that she could end up like her sister.

“As a result of that DART officer’s interaction with the victim, the victim then became compliant with Cornerstone … was willing to testify in court. She did not back down in court and her husband was ultimately sentenced to prison.”

DART’s mission is to “proactively intervene and provide assistance to individuals involved in domestic disputes in Eden Prairie in an effort to reduce violence in the community.”

The reality of fulfilling that mission means a lot of persistent follow-ups with cases that involve domestic disputes, even just verbal disputes.

When DART team members reach out for the first time in the case of a verbal incident, those they call may not like to be bothered or “they don’t want anything to do with us,” noted Bogren.

But, by the third or fourth time the department has checked in, “they are very glad that you called,” Bogren said. At that point, victims may start asking questions, like asking how you get a restraining order. “They’ve got more questions for you and they’re glad that you called and followed up.”

By the numbers:

Calls for services related to domestic disputes

2002: 458

2003: 420

2004: 403

2005: 422

2006: 352

2007: 397

2008: 351

 Arrests in incidents of domestic disputes

2002: 71

2003: 98

2004: 111

2005: 124

2006: 112

2007: 105

2008: 99