12312013 - UPDATES ON MICHIGAN OIDV CASES - 2013

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UPDATES: Michigan OIDV Cases - 2012:
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2012/12/updates-michigan-oidv-cases-2012.html




New OIDV Posts added:

- Detroit Firefighter Ardra Young: murdered ex-wife Terri and teenage son Emmanuel - February 08, 1997.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/1997/02/firefighter-ardra-young-mudrered-family.html

November 26, 2013

Michigan OIDV cases of officers' spouses who supposedly committed suicide...
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/11/michigan-cases-of-officers-spouses-who.html

With The New York Times' and Frontline's recent coverage of the questionable investigation of Michelle O' Connell's death [girlfriend of Florida St. John Sheriff Deputy Jeremy Banks], Michigan Officer Involved Domestic Violence is highlighting this month its Michigan 'suicide' cases.

It's more common than you think - As suicide rulings are often based on what the officer himself claims happened to his spouse /girlfriend.

[I am still working on this post, so please check back for updates]









OIDV - From behind closed doors and into the media spotlight:

November 26, 2013:
Officer Involved Domestic Violence - Walt Bogdanich and Leonard Lopate
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/12/officer-involved-domestic-violence-walt.html



November 26, 2013:
Frontline - "A death in St. Augustine" - The OIDV death of Michelle O'Connell.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/11/thank-you-new-york-times-and-frontline.html



November 24, 2013:
New York Times - "Two gunshots on a summer night" - The OIDV death of Michelle O'Connell.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/11/thank-you-new-york-times-and-frontline.html



November 24, 2013:
The LA Times published an article on the unsolved OIDV murder of Aleta Brown [1988].
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/11/la-times-oidv.html









November 24, 2013:

http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/

November 21, 2013 -

Kent County Commissioner Gary Rolls faces charges that include criminal sexual conduct, evidence tampering and using a computer to commit a crime. He was arrested November 21, 2013, when he left the commission chambers towards the end of a meeting.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/11/commissioner-gary-rolls-csc-arrest-kent.html


　
The investigation of Kent County Commissioner Gary Rolls began in September 2012, when a woman he had victimized for years courageously stepped forward and said: NO MORE.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2012/09/commissioner-gary-rolls-kent-county.html







November 15, 2013-
Officer Dale Malesh sentenced - CSC - November 15, 2013
In October 2013, Officer Dale Malesh pled no-contest to 14 counts of CSC. On November 15, 2013, Malesh was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months to 15 years in prison
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/11/officer-dale-malesh-sentenced-csc.html
 

August 27, 2013 -

Trooper David Morikawa - CSC conviction overturnedSentenced August 29, 2011 for CSC with his cousin [a minor] to 20 months - 15 years in prison. Paroled in March 2013. Conviction overturned August 2013.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/08/trooper-david-morikawa-appeal-granted.html






August 26, 2013 -
Former Macomb County Sheriff William Hackel - convicted of rape and a registered sex offender - Hired as head of security at the Detroit Masonic Temple:
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/08/sheriff-william-hackel-masonic-temple.html

Also See:

[Sheriff] William Hackel - Denied new trial

September 19, 2007

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/09/sheriff-william-hackel-denied-new-trial.html

[Sheriff] William Hackel - Registered sex offender - Released from prison

April 24, 2005

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2005/04/sheriff-william-hackel-registered-sex.html

[Sheriff] William Hackel - Appeal

June 6, 2000

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2000/06/sheriff-william-hackel-appeal-macomb.html

Sheriff William Hackel - Sentenced

May 15, 2000

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2000/05/sheriff-william-hackel-sentenced-macomb.html

Sheriff William Hackel - Trial: Convicted

April 17, 2000

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2000/04/sheriff-william-hackel-trial-convicted.html

Sheriff William Hackel - Charged w/ CSC

October 11, 1999

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/1999/10/sheriff-william-hackel-macomb-sd.html

Background of [Sheriff] William Hackel's rape conviction:

In October 1999, Macomb County Sheriff William Hackel was investigated for raping an acquaintance during a Michigan law enforcement convention. Sheriff Hackel maintained that the sex was consensual.

In November 1999, Sheriff William Hackel was charged with rape, after he failed a polygraph exam.

During his trial in April 2000, Sheriff Hackel falsely maintained that the sex had been consensual. The jury convicted Hackel of rape.

In May 2000, Sheriff Hackel was sentenced to at least 3 years in prison for the October 1999 rape. He served 5 years and was released in 2005.

In June 2000, Sheriff Hackel filed an appeal on his rape conviction...He was still falsely claiming that the sex had been consensual. Hackel's appeal was denied.

 In 2007, the Detroit US Federal Court turned down Sheriff Hackel's request for a new trial on his rape conviction. Hackel was still maintaining that the sex had been consensual.

Sheriff William Hackel has been throwing the words "consensual sex" around for years. In 1991, when male jail inmates broke into the female inmate section of the jail, the male inmates did not rape the women: "There's no question that they had sex," Hackel said, "It was consensual".

I recieved the following anonymous comment from IP address 50.105.74.98 from Muskegon Michigan, on August 15, 2013. Perhaps a relative of Timothy Shannon?

Councilman Tim Shannon - Sentenced - Murder of wife Lee-Ann - Hart, MI
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/07/councilman-tim-shannon-sentenced-murder.html

Amanda Bach Murder Case:

[Cross posting Amanda's case on MIOIDV, because MIOIDV was created while I was residing in Portage Indiana].

Amanda Bach [Portage, Indiana]. Murdered by her ex-boyfriend Dustin McCowan [son of Crown Point police officer Joseph Elliott McCowan] - September 16, 2011

Dustin McCowan - Convicted and sentenced to 60 years in prison for murdering Amanda Bach [February 2013

Crown Point Indiana police officer Joseph Elliott McCowan - Investigated for his possible role in hiding key evidence in his son Dustin's murder case.

Dustin McCowan: son of Crown Point Indiana police officer Joseph Elliott McCowan. Convicted in February 2013 of murdering Amanda Bach [Portage IN - September 16, 2011]. Sentenced to 60 years in prison [March 2013].

Immediately following the murder of Amanda Bach the Porter County SD also began investigating Dustin McCowan's father: Officer Joseph Elliot McCowan for his possible role in hiding key evidence [ Amanda's cell phone; the gun; etc] in the murder case against his son / Dustin.

In April 2013 the Porter County SD discontinued its investigation of Officer McCowan.

The sheriff department, prosecutor, and Amanda's parents believe that Officer McCowan played a role in covering up the murder of Amanda.

The Porter County Sheriff Department said the investigation of Officer McCowan could be re-opened if they receive new information in the case.

Amanda Bach Murder – September 16, 2011 http://abbiandbaileyfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2011/09/amanda-bach-murder-dustin-mccowan_16.html

Amanda Bach Murder Case - Videos http://abbiandbaileyfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2011/09/amanda-bach-murder-case-videos.html

Amanda Bach Murder Case - Investigation of Officer Joseph Elliott McCowan [Crown Point Indiana PD]

http://abbiandbaileyfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2011/09/amanda-bach-murder-case-investigation.html

Amanda Bach Murder Case - Dustin McCowan Trial and Conviction- Feb 04, 2013 http://abbiandbaileyfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2013/02/amanda-bach-murder-case-dustin-mccowan.html

Amanda Bach Murder Case - Dustin McCowan Sentenced - March 28, 2013 http://abbiandbaileyfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2013/03/amanda-bach-murder-case-dustin-mccowan.html

July 23, 2013 - Unnamed girlfriend of Unnamed Detroit Police Officer commits suicide ????
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/07/unnamed-girlfriend-of-unnamed-detroit_23.html

The victim and Detroit Police officer were never named. The victim supposedly committed suicide with the officer's gun in the backyard of their home.

OIDV criminal proceedings and records under MCL 769.4a are now closed under ACT 550 [SB 663].

There was ourtrage over Michigan legislators closing proceedings and records of OIDV cases pleaded under MCL 769.4a. In response to the outrage, Michigan officials removed amended paragraphs 6 and 7 from MCL 769.4a [closed proceedings].

However, Michigan officials DID NOT REPEAL ACT 550. Paragraphs 6 and 7 of ACT 550: closed proceedings for DV cases pleaded under MCL 769.4a. The only thing officials did was HIDE ACT 550.

Michigan Act 550 needs to be repealed in order for criminal proceedings and records under MCL 769.4a to once again be public.

MCL 769.4a and ACT 550: CLOSED CRMINAL PROCEEDINGS
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/04/mcl-7694a-and-act-550-closed-crminal.html



MCL 769.4a AMENDED
MCL 769.4a is known as the Lautenburg loophole to Michigan police officers who are arrested / charged with domestic violence. It allows officers to retain their guns. Now, Michigan State legislators have amended the law to insure that the proceedings under this law are kept from the public eye:
Paragraphs 6 and 7 of MCL 769.4a have been amended:
"If the record of proceedings as to the defendant is deferred under this section, the record of proceedings during this period of deferral shall be closed to the public inspection..."

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/02/mcl-7694a-amended.html











Hart city councilman Timothy Shannon -
On July 15, 2013, former Hart city councilman Timothy Shannon was sentenced to 13 1/2 to 75 years in prison for the murder of his wife, Lee-Ann Shannon [December 29, 2012].

Councilman Tim Shannon - Sentenced - Murder of Lee-Ann - July 15, 2013

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/07/councilman-tim-shannon-sentenced-murder.html

Hart city councilman Timothy Shannon -
On June 03, 2013, former Hart city councilman Timothy Shannon pleaded no-contest to the second-degree murder of his wife, Lee-Ann Shannon [December 29, 2012]. In exchange for his plea, the original charge of open murder was dismissed.

Councilman Tim Shannon - Convicted / Plea Bargain - Murder of Lee-Ann - June 03, 2013

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/06/councilman-tim-shannon-convicted-plea.html



[MI] Retired Warren police officer Dale Malesh June 04 preliminary hearing: Malesh to face trial for CSC.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/05/officer-dale-malesh-preliminary-exam.html

Retired Warren Police Officer Dale Malesh's preliminary hearing for CSC postponed due to trauma to  victim.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/05/officer-dale-malesh-preliminary-exam.html

Warren Police Officer Dale Malesh [retired], who was charged with two counts of 3rd-dgree criminal sexual conduct on  April 13, 2013...
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/04/officer-dale-malesh-warren-pd-retired.html


WAS PREVIOUSLY A STURGIS POLICE OFFICER:
Sturgis Police Officer Dale Malesh: July 29, 1986:

Charged with felonies for the killing / shooting of dogs.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/1986/07/officer-dale-malesh-sturgis-pd.html

The charges were erased from Officer Dale Malesh's record....

WXYZ / Channel 7, Detroit [reporter Scott Lewis] investigation of Detroit Firefighter Mike Risher's violence against women:
2005: A woman said she and Risher were arguing in the back seat of a minivan when Risher head butted her. When she fought back, she said that Risher pinned her down and choked her.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2005/01/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit.html

2006: Risher gets in a bar fight and assaults a woman. The assault is caught on the bar's video cam.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2006/01/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit-pd.html

 2006: When police respond to Risher's assault of the woman, Risher flashes his badge and claims to the responding police that he is the victim.The police arrest the woman that Risher is seen attacking on the bar's video.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2006/01/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit-pd_2.html

2006: Victim of Risher's attack in the bar filed a lawsuit against Risher. She is awarded $15,000. But Risher only pays a small portion of the suit.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2006/01/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit-pd_3.html

March 12, 2008: Risher's ex-wife had filed a domestic violence assault report with the police department. Charges were never filed against Risher.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/03/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit-pd.html

Unknown Date: Risher's ex-wife had filed a domestic violence assault report with the police department. Charges were never filed against Risher.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2009/01/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit-fd.html

September 18, 2009: Risher's ex-wife had filed a domestic violence assault report with the police department. Charges were never filed against Risher.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2009/09/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit-pd.html

March 08, 2011: Risher assaulted Jennifer Panduren at a bar, when she and her friend Samantha Strozynski turned down his advances. Assault was caught on a security cam. Police refuse to review secuirty cam tape. Police refuse to file charges against Risher.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2011/03/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit-fd.html

March 08, 2011: Risher assaulted Samantha Strozynski at a bar, when she and her friend Jennifer Panduren turned down his advances. Assault was caught on a security cam. Police refuse to review secuirty cam tape. Police refuse to file charges against Risher.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2011/03/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit-fd_8.html

March 08, 2011: Risher arrested for disorderly conduct for assaulting Panduren and Strozynski. Charges were later dismissed.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2011/03/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit-pd.html

March 08, 2011: Panduren [assaulted by Risher] was arrested for disorderly conduct. Charges were later dismissed.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2011/03/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit-pd_8.html

Summer 2011: Risher attacked a woman when he accused her of spilling his drink. Risher picked her up by her neck and slammed her onto a boat deck after he accused her of spilling his drink.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2011/06/firefighter-mike-risher-detroit-fd.html

Remember: Michigan state officials did not investigate Detroit Firefighter Mike Risher. The police departments refused to investigate Firefighter Mike Risher's assaults on women; and the Detroit Fire Department has never so much as reprimanded Risher.

This investigation was done by WXYZ News reporter Scott Lewis. He was the only one who would listen to Firefighter Mike Risher's victims and expose what everyone else was allowing Risher to get away with.












Eaton Rapids Officer Jeff Smith: DV hearing [April 12, 2013]:
At his hearing, Officer Smith admitted to pulling out his gun during the argument with his ex-wife, and then putting his gun up to his head! Eaton PD has NOT fired Officer Smith. Hearing continues on April 17th.

Video of Officer Jeff Smith testifying about pulling gun during dv incident:

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/01/officer-jeff-smith-charged-with-dv.html

Officer Ryan McClimans [Grand Rapids PD]:
Suspended after being charged with domestic violence, after a recent dv incident in which he assaulted his girlfriend and threatened to kill her. The victim filed a PPO, which was filled with NINE PAGES of other DV incidents. They had been dating for over a year. In February 2013, McClimans filed for divorce from his wife.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/04/officer-ryan-mcclimans-grand-rapids-pd.html











Grand Traverse Sheriff Deputy Ryan Salisbury: FIRED

In December 2012, Deputy Salisbury was arrested for assaulting his ex-girfriend.  Although he was able to have the charge dropped, Grand Traverse Sheriff Tom Bensley was one step ahead of Deputy Salisbury. In February 2013, Sheriff Bensley fired Deputy Salisbury.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2012/12/deputy-ryan-salisbury-grand-traverse-sd.html










Hart City Councilman Timothy Shannon:

Murder trial for Councilman Timothy Shannon [charged with the murder of his wife Lee-Ann] is scheduled for trial: June 16 - June 21, 2013.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2012/12/hart-councilman-timothy-shannon-charged.html









Officer Jeff Smith, Eaton Rapids PD
Was not arraigned on July 07, 2012 domestic violence charges until January 2013. At the arraignment, the Judge allowed Officer Smith to retain his gun for work purposes. Case now seems to have gone missing once again.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2012/07/sergeant-jeff-smith-eaton-rapids-pd.html

VIDEO: http://youtu.be/Oc5tqrwgB20













Deputy Ed Kolakowski [Kent County SD]:  
On March 10, 2013 Ottawa County deputies responded to a "disagreement" between Deputy Kolakowski and his wife alongside a road. Deputy Kolakowski was arrested for drunk driving. He later pled guilty to the drunk driving charge.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/03/deputy-ed-kolakowski-kent-county-sd.html









Deputy Michael VanderLaan
[Ottawa County SD]:
Placed on probation for January 11th domestic violence charge. The DV conviction will be removed from his record upon successful completion of probation. Although Deputy VanderLaan has pleaded guilty to DV charges and is on probation, he remains working at the Ottawa County SD.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/01/deputy-michael-vanderlaan-ottawa-county.html












FIREFIGHTER GERALD PAUL THOMA JR
[FRUITPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT]

January 30, 2013: Firefighter Gerald Thoma was sentenced to 3 years probation for his third drunk driving offense stemming from July 20, 2012 accident

1985: Firefighter Gerald Thoma Jr. was chared with operating a motor vehicle while impaired.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/1985/01/firefighter-gerald-paul-thoma-jr.html



2003: Firefighter Gerald Thoma Jr. was charged again for opertaing a motor vehicle while impaired. It was his second DUI offense. During this incident, Thoma rammed his truck into an acquaintance's house and vehicle in Muskegon Township while attending a party there. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 45 days in the Muskegon County Jail and 24 months of probation.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2003/06/fire-captain-gerald-paul-thoma-jr.html


2007: Firefighter Thoma pleaded pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence for punching his then-16-year-old son in the nose three times. Thoma was sentenced to probation, fines, court costs and anger-management class for that offense.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/06/firefighter-gerald-thoma-jr-fruitport.html


2012: While intoxicated, Firefighter Thoma attempted a stunt on while driving his motorcycle and without his helmet on. Thoma was seriously injured. Thoma was charged with a felony: operating while intoxicated, third offense, which was punishable up to 5 years in prison. In January 2013, Thoma pled nolo contendere to MCL 257.6256D [operating intoxicated / impaired /controlled substance, third offense. Thoma was sentenced to 3 years probation.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2012/07/firefighter-gerald-paul-thoma-jr.html













Deputy Michael VanderLaan
[Ottawa County SD]
January 11, 2013: Deputy VanderLaan involved in a domestic with his wife, which resulted in "minor injuries" and "bruising" to the officer's wife.

January 11, 2013: Michigan State Police began investigating the domestic violence incident involving Deputy Vanderlaan.

January 12, 2013: Ottawa County Sheriff suspended Deputy VanderLaan from patrol duty during the DV investigations and placed him on administrative-only duties until the court case is resolved.

January 21, 2013: Deputy VanderLaan's wife filed for divorce.

January 23, 2013: Deputy VanderLaan was arrested and charged with one count of misdemeanor domestic violence.

To date: Deputy VanderLaan remains on administrative duty at the Ottawa County Sheriff Department.

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/01/deputy-michael-vanderlaan-ottawa-county.html

SAGINAW COUNTY SHERIFF DEPUTY STEVEN FRESORGER:

Plea bargain [January 2013]: 7  felony charges of misuse of LEIN system dropped ; pleaded to four counts of misdemeanor misuse of LEIN.

Sentence [February 2013]: 1 year probation. If completed successfully charges will be dropped.

Position with Saginaw Sheriff Department: Has been suspended since May 2011 [when charges were originally filed]. Sheriff William L. Federspiel plans to make a decision regarding Deputy Fresorger's position with the Sheriff Department, later in February.

SAGINAW DEPUTY STEVEN FRESORGER: ALL L.E.I.N. CHARGES

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2009/05/deputy-steven-fresorger-all-lein-charges.html

DEPUTY STEVEN FRESORGER, SAGINAW COUNTY SD: MAY - JUlY 2009.
Criminal charges for misuse of the LEIN. May - July 2009.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2009/05/deputy-steven-fresorger-saginaw-county.html


DEPUTY STEVEN FRESORGER, SAGINAW COUNTY SD: JULY 17, 2010.
Criminal charges for misuse of the LEIN. July 17, 2010.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2010/07/deputy-steven-fresorger-saginaw-county.html


DEPUTY STEVEN FRESORGER, SAGINAW COUNTY SD: SEPT. 6 - 7, 2010
Criminal charges for misuse of the LEIN. September 6 - 7, 2010.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2010/09/deputy-steven-fresorger-saginaw-county.html


DEPUTY STEVEN FRESORGER, SAGINAW COUNTY SD: MAY 07, 2011
Allegation of domestic violence assault.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2011/05/deputy-steven-fresorger-saginaw-county.html


DEPUTY STEVEN FRESORGER, SAGINAW COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT: STALKING CHARGES FILED [JUNE 2011].










FORMER JACKSON COUNTY SHERIFF CANDIDATE LANCE LAIRD:

In 2012, Laird ran for sheriff while he was on probation for a domestic violence assault conviction. During his campaign, Laird was jailed for violating probation [drugs]. In January 2013, Laird was arrested for transporting $900,000 worth of cocaine from Texas to Michigan.

"I find your client to be one of the most manipulative and controlling individuals that I have ever run across, according the report, according to the information, and according to the violation."

[Comment Jackson County Judge Mazur made to Lance Laird's attorney during Laird's hearing for the domestic violence charge and violation of bond].

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2010/08/lance-laird-former-sheriff-candidate.html

11262013 - Walt Bogdanich and Leonard Lopate - Radio Show On Officer Involved Domestic Violence

Police Officer-Involved Domestic Violence
The Leonard Lopate Show
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
http://www.wnyc.org/story/police-officer-involved-domestic-violence/?utm_source=sharedUrl&utm_media=metatag&utm_campaign=sharedUrl

Pulitzer Prize winning Frontline correspondent Walt Bogdanich discusses “A Death in St. Augustine,” a collaborative project with The New York Times that investigates police officer-involved domestic violence. He discusses the hidden problem of officer-involved domestic violence, and the story at this investigation's heart: that of young single mother Michelle O'Connell who was found dead from a gunshot after she broke up with her boyfriend, who was a cop. The sheriff’s office ruled it suicide—but was it?


Cloudwriter - National OIDV - can be reached at:
www.behindthebluewall.blogspot.com

11242013 - OIDV Murder Of Aleta Brown - LA Times

On November 24, 2013 the LA Times published an article on the unsolved OIDV murder of Aleta Brown [1988].
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-browne-cold-case-20131124-dto,0,4797936.htmlstory#ixzz2mNVnaHCB

11242013 - Thank you New York Times and Frontline - Michelle O'Connell's Death Exposed

Published On: Nov 24 2013 01:09:52 PM EST

Updated On: Nov 24 2013 02:04:28 PM EST

http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2013/two-gunshots/?hp

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/death-in-st-augustine/

A big thank you and huge hug to everyone at the New York Times and Frontline who worked so hard to give officer involved domestic violence victims a voice!

You have managed to do what no one outside of OIDV has done before - You put the public in the shoes of what it is like to be a victim of OIDV and what it is like for them when their abuser is protected behind the blue wall.

The ending segment of Frontline's documentary with Sheriff Shoar standing before his department giving a 'sermon'  in 'cop church' demandng that his 'troops'  stand behind Deputy Banks - instead of standing up to justice - was priceless.  That is  mentality of what too many OIDV victims are  up against. It is why OIDV is different than non-officer involved DV.

As Cloudwriter has said about being a victim of OIDV "it's a  different kind of being scared" - www.behindthebluewall.blogspot.com

Thank you,
Renee' Harrington
Michigan Officer Involved Domestic Violence website
www.michiganoidv.blogspot.com





**************************

　


　

Cloudwriter's post on Michelle O' Connell's death:

[FL] It's that simple? Anonymous deputy says his anonymous girlfriend killed herself and the anonymous investigators believe him.
http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2010/09/fl-its-that-simple-anonymous-deputy.html

　




Too Many Said-Suicides of Law Enforcement Officer's wives, girlfriends, dates, and ex's
http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2013/09/too-many-said-suicides-of-law.html

11242013 - Michigan OIDV Death Cases - Officers' Spouses Who Supposedly Committed Suicide...

With The New York Times' and Frontline's recent coverage of the questionable investigation of Michelle O' Connell's death [girlfriend of Florida St. John Sheriff Deputy Jeremy Banks], Michigan Officer Involved Domestic Violence is highlighting this month its Michigan 'suicide' cases.

It's more common than you think - As suicide rulings are often based on what the officer himself claims happened to his spouse /girlfriend.







Unnamed girlfriend of Unnamed Detroit Police Officer commits suicide??? http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2013/07/unnamed-girlfriend-of-unnamed-detroit_23.html

On July 23, 2013, Detroit Police Officer William Zeolla told fellow police officers that he found his girlfriend Angela Kolhagen in his backyard. According to Zeolla, while he was home, Angela took his service gun and went outside and shot herself. Zeolla then carried her body to the front yard - thus disturbing the possible crime scene.

All suicides are supposed to be treated like homicides - and it isn't until homicide can be outruled that a death is considered a sucide. In Angie's case, it appears that it was quickly decided that she had committed suicide because that's what Officer Zeolla said. End of story. Case closed.

Angie was so unimportant to the Detroit PD, that they did not release her name. After several days of OIDV specialists tracking down info on the victim, we came up with not only Angie's name but the name of her boyfriend: Officer William Zeolla.

More searching by our OIDV group on the mysterous Officer Zeolla and we discovered why the Detroit PD and his family and friends were protective of his identity: Zeolla has a long history of police brutality - backed up with lawsuits filed by his victims.

The officers, who have been involved in excessive-force lawsuits that collectively have cost the city $660,000 in settlements

At the time of Angie's death, Officer Zeolla and the Detroit PD were being sued for Zeolla excessive force in yet another case of police brutality....











Jennifer Webb  -  August 30, 2011

Officer Kenneth Bluew trial for JenniferWebb murder
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2011/08/officer-bluew-trial-for-murder-of.html

On August 30, 2011 Jennifer Webb's lifeless body was discovered hanging at the Buena Vista PD gun range. At first, the Buena Vista PD handled Jennifer's death as a suicide.

But when Chief Brian Booker discovered that Jennifer was the girlfriend of one of his married officers - Kenneth Bluew - and that Jennifer was eight months pregnant with Bluew's son, the Chief turned Jennifer's death investigation over to the Michigan State Police.

Officer Kenneth Bluew was charged with the murder of Jennifer Webb and the death of his unborn son. On October 11, 2012 he was convicted and sentenced in November 2012 to life in prison.

The Michigan State Police's exemplary investigation of Jennifer's supposed suicide, should be mandated protocal for any "suicide" investigation of a police officer's spouse / girlfriend.









Lori Dekleine - January 10, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html

On January 10, 2008, the body of Lori DeKleine - ex wife of Holland police officer Ken DeKleine - was found hanging in her basement. Ken's fellow officers immediately processed the scene as a suicide, not a homicide. It wasn't until Lori's divorce attorney - Holly Verde - contacted authorities and told them that Lori had feared for her life, that Lori's death was processed as a homicide - by the Michigan State Police.

The MSP investigation of Lori's murder revealed that Officer DeKleine had violated the protective order numerous times during the months leading up to Lori's death - And that the Holland PD did nothing. After Lori's murder, the Holland Police Chief John Kruithoff admitted during an interview with a news station that although Lori's PPO was on file with his police department, he had NEVER bothered to read it.

Had the Chief 'bothered' to read Lori's PPO, that she had obtained on January 31, 2007, he would have realized how much danger she was in. Lori outlined years of abuse which included rape; Ken abusing his police powers to stalk her and even plant a tape recorder on her.

Lori's PPO request: "I have become increasingly terrified and afraid for my life..."

Kenneth DeKleine was convicted of Lori's murder in July 2008, and was sentenced to life in prison.









Officer Tabitha McCree, Detroit PD -
January 19, 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-tabitha-mccree-detroit-police.html

Murder or Suicide?

On January 19, 2007 Officer Tabitha McCree - who was off duty at the time - met with her ex-husband Jaimie McCree while he was on duty in a secluded area of Detroit.

And then there was gunfire, with Tabitha substaining a gun wound to her stomach. Tabitha told responding EMT and hospital personnel that her ex-husband Officer Jaimie McCree had shot her.

Tabitha died a few hours later, during surgery - At that point, with their witness / victim dead, the Detroit Police Department changed it's story and claimed that Tabitha had committed suicide.

"It was a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings said after the officer died at Detroit Receiving Hospital.

End of investigation. Hmmm....









Flint PD Dispatcher Kimberly Thompson - May 01, 1993
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/1993/05/trooper-douglas-wright.html

On May 01, 1993 Kimberly Thompson's ex-husband /former Michigan State Police trooper Douglas Wright visited her home to go over their divorce papers.

A few hours later, Kimberly was dead from a bullet wound. Wright claimed that he and Kimberly had "drank hard, then fought even harder". According to Wright he went outside to cool off, and Kimberly, who had remained inside the home took his duty gun and shot herself.

The medical examiner concluded the evidence was conflicting and declined to say whether Kimberly's death was a suicide or a homicide. For years, it appeared as Kimberly's death would always go unresolved.

Then in 2000, newly elected Genessee County Sheriff Robert Pickell opened Kimberly's cold case file. Sheriff Pickell's investigation led to Wright being convicted for Kimberly's murder in 2003.

Wright is currently serving 25-50 years in prison for Kimberly's murder.







For more articles on officers' spouses who supposedly committed suicide, visit Cloudwriter's Behind The Blue Wall blogspot:

"Too Many Said-Suicides of Law Enforcement Officer's wives, girlfriends, dates, and ex's"
http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2013/09/too-many-said-suicides-of-law.html

11232013 - Frontline - How to Combat Officer-Involved Domestic Violence

How to Combat Officer-Involved Domestic Violence
Frontline
November 23, 2013
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/how-to-combat-officer-involved-domestic-violence/

Mark Wynn is a 21-year veteran of the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department who trains departments on officer-involved domestic violence. He spoke with FRONTLINE about why the problem is so complicated, and what still needs to be done. This is the edited transcript of an interview conducted on Oct. 29, 2013.
[question]As a police officer, did you ever have occasion to respond to domestic violence calls?[/question]

Thousands over the years.

[question]… From what I’ve read, that can be a difficult assignment, is it not? 

It is complex. It’s confusing. It is dynamic. It’s dangerous. There’s a lot of emotional labor involved if you really do the work correctly. It’s the most [frequently] committed and least reported crime in the country. There’s no doubt about that.

[question]Least reported? Why is that?

There’s a lot of reasons. You’ve got the social stigma. You’ve got fear. You’ve got love. You’ve got religion. You’ve got money. It’s one of those crimes where the victim and the offender live together and they know each other. There’s an emotional tie. Leaving is not easy.

As a matter of fact, one of the things that we now have realized after all these years — because we’ve been so busy asking the victim why she stayed in that relationship — is that we now understand that leaving is not an event. It’s more of a process.

So the police have to play a part in that process and get that victim to safety. And that’s got to be trained in the police officers. …

These cases are ongoing. And they’ve been ongoing for years, and if we don’t understand that, then we do more harm than good.

[question]As a police officer, have you ever responded to a domestic violence call involving another officer?

Absolutely.

[question]I would imagine that presents a special set of circumstances. 

It does, and I don’t make any excuses, but the pressure for the responding officers is heavy, especially when it’s somebody you know or you worked with.

In law enforcement, as you can imagine, like the military, you build bonds together by saving one another’s lives. You know these folks so well, better than your own relatives. So it’s a lot of pressure.

That’s one of the obstacles that we realized over the years to holding ourselves accountable, for violence in the police family is understanding that there may be that tension, and we have to deal with that tension as leaders in policing.

But, you know, you’ve got a job. You work with the public, and you’re accountable. You have to make sure the law keeps its promise.

“Whenever you are aware of a crime and you don’t hold someone accountable, then you’re colluding with a criminal.”

[question]The woman who is battered would have to know about the special relationship that exists among police officers. Is that one of the reasons perhaps they are hesitant to call or know who to call? 

There’s no question, as a matter of fact. The dynamic in a domestic violence relationship … is no different than when the husband is a police officer or the wife is a police officer. That dynamic is the same, which means that this is power-based violence, someone using power for intent to control another. And it’s ongoing.

[question]And police know how to use power.

More than that, and this is the real dilemma that law enforcement faces, is that you get someone who already has a propensity to violence — and most often that’s from childhood experiences. We believe about 85 percent of the offenders learn violence at an early age.

So you get that kind of a character in a badge, you’ve got a real problem, because when you train someone to be a cop, anyone in this country, you train them to challenge when confronted. You train them to interrogate when suspicious. You train them to [use] fighting skills that no one else has. You train them how to use weapons. You train them how to deal with conflict. You teach them all these skills, and then you add all of that to someone who is violent, you’ve got a lethal combination on your hands. …

There’s more to it than that, and I know that because I’ve been an investigating officer. And when you deal with these kinds of cases as a criminal investigator, not as a first responder, then you see all of this in the officers, especially when you start doing the interview interrogation, collection of evidence, interviewing witnesses.

You have a very special kind of victim, because they’ve been manipulated by a highly trained offender who also knows the law just like you do. So you’ve got a different kind of person that you’re investigating now. It takes a high degree of training and skill to investigate an officer-involved case. …

[question]I rarely come across any news articles that tell the story of a police officer being arrested for domestic violence. I would imagine that means either it’s not happening all that often or it’s not being reported. Which is it?

That’s a good question. I have to say that it is happening more today than ever before.

[question]Why is that?

I think there has been an awakening in policing, and that is in leadership. I’ve been training police chiefs since 1986, and in the recent past, I’ve seen a different generation of leaders who have been trained — I believe correctly — how to investigate domestic violence in the general public.

So they have a sense of what the right way is to handle the general public. How can they not do it for law enforcement? So I’m starting to see more officers arrested. I’ve arrested and prosecuted officers for domestic violence in my career, but I’ve specialized in that field of lieutenant detective with a specialized domestic violence division in my police department, and it was part of our responsibility to work these cases.

But I am seeing more and more. It’s something that I think a lot of police chiefs and sheriffs will not broadcast to the media that they’ve done it, and I think that’s a mistake. I think transparency is the key, because one of the difficulties we have with violence in a police family is reporting.

Victims don’t report for other particular reasons, where the officer-offender will tell the victim that they won’t believe you or me: “I have credibility; you don’t”; “They’ll circle the wagons and protect me”; and “I understand the law, and you don’t”; “I’ll lose my pension if you call my supervisors.”

So there’s other things that the domestic violence police victim has to deal with than the general public. In order for us to get that victim to call us, we have to communicate to the public that this is not going to be tolerated, and when we broadcast when we arrested and prosecuted our own, that’s the way we communicate to the public that the law will keep its promise. The police family is just like public families.

[question]Do you have a handle on how many officers are arrested each year for domestic violence?

… I don’t think we have seen a real study on this issue yet. And one of the reasons that we haven’t been able to study it is because so few police departments have a policy on how to deal with it.

There’s some informal policies across the country. There’s some agencies that have great policies, and then there’s some that sort of have a little of half-formal and then different operational policy in the field. So our data is not what it should be for us to really evaluate. …

But let me say this. I think that if we believe that 10 to 15 percent of the population in this country is involved in domestic violence … we at least have a 10 to 15 percent chance of getting someone in uniform who’s an abuser. Now, what do we do about it once they get in the ranks? That’s a whole other question.

[question]… You mentioned that it’s important for police chiefs to broadcast a message that they view this as a significant problem. How is a victim supposed to know what to do? A woman sitting at home, she’s just been [abused] by her police officer spouse or husband, what is she to do? Where does she turn? How does she know who to call? 

Unfortunately, around the country, often the first place a victim can turn to is either a friend, a relative or a crisis line, and we need to expand that list of lifelines to this victim.

So it starts off early on, even before hiring. The prescreen process for law enforcement officers should also be about talking to spouses and family members of an officer.

As a matter of fact, it’s not unusual now in large agencies around the country that you seek out spousal classes for men and women whose husbands and wives are going into law enforcement, because it’s a stressful lifestyle, offering those folks early on an option that if you feel unsafe at any time while you are married to this person or connected to this person, you can reach out to us. …

[question]Those classes aren’t that common? 

No, they’re not, but they work, and that’s part of a standard where we are preaching around the country that works, and it’s sort of a three-part process.

What is your standard? Is your standard that you’re going to protect the police families like you do the public?

What is your accountability? Who are you accountable to as a public servant? You’re obviously accountable to the public, and you’re also accountable to the families of your police officers. They have the same rights as anybody else in society.

And then third is your communication. How do you communicate that? Our police leaders stand up regularly and roll-call with the officers, the civic meetings or before camera when they talk to the news media and say: “This is how we feel about this. This is the most important thing that we do, protecting families and society, because if we can’t protect families, how are we going to protect the general public?” A way that we would communicate that is constantly telling the community that we care about domestic violence and sex assault and stalking and human trafficking, all these crimes committed against women, and it also applies to the police family.

And by the way, excuse me for saying this. I don’t want this to sound like I am absolutely anti-police. It’s just the opposite. I think, to me, dealing with violence in the police family is our big test of this century. If we can’t communicate to the public that we’re going to hold our own accountable and make the law keep its promise and protect victims of domestic violence, then we’re in trouble.

So it’s a challenge for every police chief and every sheriff in this country to make sure that they communicate to the public that my employees are going to be just as safe as you.

[question]In this Internet age, would it not make sense for police departments to have a link on their home page advising potential victims as to what to do? 

… I ask chiefs all the time, how easy is it for a victim to find direct service when they go to your website? Do they see K9 and bomb squad and helicopters, or do they see a button that says, “If you are a victim of sex assault or domestic violence stalking, click here,” and it immediately goes to resources?

Because, you know, victims need options. They don’t need advice. They know what trouble they’re in. They need options, and options should be a part of the very first thing you see when you go to other departments’ websites.

[question]Have you ever seen a situation where there is such a button for an abused partner to push to find out where to go? 

There are agencies who on their home page have a button for domestic violence, but it’s not uniform. I’d like to see more of it, and we’re doing our best to make sure that that message gets out. …

[question]How did you get interested in this subject? 

I’m a survivor. Even though my relatives were all in law enforcement, my stepfather was an abuser. I lived under an abuser for 10 years.

[question]Abused your mother?

Oh, yes. It was bad. That’s light. “Abuse” is not the right word. My stepfather was a violent offender, and I had this opportunity in the late ’50s and early ’60s, … [watching] the police departments all over Texas where we lived deal with domestic violence. They threatened my mother with arrests. They struggled. They had no policies, and you know what happens when you’ve got people that have got no direction. They make it up as they go. So we were pretty much at the mercy of my stepfather.

[question]So he was an officer?

No, he wasn’t an officer. He was just an abuser. But you’ve got to make the best of it, I suppose. I learned from him how to police domestic violence, so when I got into law enforcement, I had a pretty clear view of what I needed to do.

When I saw that there was a double standard for law enforcement, I decided that we needed to do something about that, too. That’s why I pushed for a specialized unit within our police department, and even today they’re still investigating and arresting officers for domestic violence. …

[question]At some point you left Nashville Police Department. Why, and then what did you do?

When I made lieutenant, they were going to transfer me back to homicide, and I had already worked in homicide, and I really wanted to sleep. So I had a conversation with my chief about it, and he said, “I need you in homicide,” so I decided I that I would leave the agency and do this work.

Since 2001, I’ve traveled all over the world. I’ve trained officers in China and Russia and just got back from Brazil, training the Brazilian police, and Georgia and Northern Ireland and England, Germany and all these places I’ve trained. Plus I’ve trained in every state in the United States, so I’ve trained police officers and police chiefs and judges and prosecutors around [the world] all about violence against women in the United States.

It’s worked out real well for me. I miss the work in policing, but what I’m doing now, it’s meaningful. …

[question]Does domestic abuse necessarily involve violence? 

It doesn’t. I think that a lot of people think that it’s slaps and punches and kicks, but it’s much more than that. It’s social, psychological abuse. It’s someone using force and fear to control someone else, to degrade someone down, to push their self-esteem to the lowest level so they can be controlled.

Domestic violence abusers will use all kinds of methods to control their victims, and this is learned behavior. They’ve been doing it a while. They watched it happen as a child, so they’re very sophisticated in what they do. And smart offenders don’t often hit or punch. They don’t have to. They have other ways of controlling a victim.

[question]At some point you got involved in helping to craft model rules for how police departments should deal with this issue. Tell me how that came about and your involvement in it. 

In ’82, ’83 I started training in our academy, teaching our recruits, and then shortly after that, our chief introduced me to IACP, which is the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Then in ’86, ’87 we did a couple of training films for law enforcement, I think one of the first true training films that actually dealt with the correct way to deal with domestic violence. And then I started traveling.

We spent about three years, and we traveled across the United States, talking to police executives about how to write and formulate policies dealing with women and domestic violence. And this was the first real, national training that a lot of these police chiefs had. The chiefs that we were talking to were officers that came on in the late ’50s and early ’60s — in their mind, domestic violence was more of a dispute. It was a disagreement between a husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend, until you [had a] homicide.

So they weren’t really talking about violence against women until the early or mid-80s, and I got involved in that process. And I listened in those years very carefully to police chiefs and some of the excuses that I heard about why we couldn’t protect the victims of domestic violence and the general public. And I knew, and the conversations I had with them in those years, that not only were we not protecting the public, but we weren’t protecting our own families.

[question]So describe to me the evolution of these rules. You became interested in a policy. How long did it take, and are they still in effect? …

In ’96, ’97 and those years, the IACP put together impact panels around the country to talk about this issue with leaders and police, sheriffs and police, and the IACP devised a nationwide model protocol on how to deal with officer-involved domestic violence.  In 2002 and 2003 it was rolled out as a national model.

It’s only been 10 years now, and a lot of agencies have adopted it. Some states have a statewide model policy. In Tennessee I managed to work on a statewide policy, so every chief, every sheriff in the state has a model they can go to to replicate for their agency. North Dakota has a statewide policy. A lot of states are looking at a statewide model policy to give their chiefs and sheriffs an example to use. So it’s taken a while.

We’re starting to see more and more police departments, if they don’t have a policy, define how they deal with officer-involved domestic violence, from the first responder to the criminal investigator to the internal affairs investigator. So it’s changing, but not nearly as fast as I’d like to see.

[question]Would you like to see every police department in the country adopt the model rules?

You can’t police without it.

[question]And yet there are many that are policing without it.

I understand that. Let me just say, you cannot police in an open society and — if you lose the public trust, you’re in big trouble. In order for us to win the public trust, we have to tell society that we’re going to hold our own accountable, and this is the way to do it, by investigating and arresting and prosecuting officers that commit domestic violence in their own families.

[question]… If an officer learns about an allegation of domestic violence involving a fellow officer and does not report it or take action, what should the response by his superiors be, or her superiors?

It’s pretty simple for me. Whenever you are aware of a crime and you don’t hold someone accountable, then you’re colluding with a criminal. Is that what we want in the ranks of law enforcement? Do we want our officers to collude with a criminal? The answer is obviously no.

A way to make sure that doesn’t happen is that we not only say but we promote zero tolerance in the ranks of law enforcement around domestic violence. Because we’ve seen this play before, where police departments and sheriffs’ departments around the country have tolerated domestic violence, and what it got was the death of the spouse of an officer.

We can’t tolerate that anymore. The mystery’s over. We already know. The studies are over. We know what these offenders will do. We know what they’re capable of, because domestic violence defenders not only abuse their family members nationwide, they kill police officers. Four people that I knew, friends, were killed by domestic violence offenders in my city alone.

The very first police officer killed on my police department in 1875 was killed responding to a domestic violence call. One hundred and five years later, I was policing the same streets as that officer was killed on, so when I hear someone say we should tolerate levels of domestic violence, I say you must be out of your mind, because these offenders are not only dangerous to their families, they’re dangerous to police officers. …

[question] Are you seeing a zero-tolerance policy across the country?

… We’re not there yet, but I think once we get to that level, a lot of things are going to happen for us. First of all, the people who we work for, you the taxpayer, is going to look at their agency with a different eye, that you can trust, you feel comfortable with calling your police department and your sheriff’s department, and I think victims will call.

Let me give you one quick example. I was a lieutenant with the Nashville police, and I was in the office one night, and we had just arrested one of our officers for domestic violence. The local media covered it and broadcast it, and the phone rang, and this woman, she said, “Are you Lt. Wynn?” I said, “Yes, ma’am.” And she said, “I want to talk to you, but I don’t want to give you my name.” And of course these things happen. People do that all the time. And I said, “Yes, ma’am, go right ahead.” And she said, “I saw on the media today where you arrested one of your officers for domestic violence.” I said, “Yes, ma’am, we did.” And she said, “I want to thank you for that.” And I said, “Why is that?”

She said: “I was married to one of your officers for 30 years, and he beat the hell out of me all the time I was married to him. And I reported it to your police department, and nothing happened.” And she said, “Obviously the day has changed, and I want to thank you for holding your own accountable,” and she hung the phone up.

That was all I needed to hear, that there were victims, not only presently that were dealing with domestic violence, but there were thousands and thousands of victims in the past who had not had their day in court because of a culture in policing that pushed family members away from protection who were victims of domestic violence.

[question]Let’s say an internal affairs department has investigated serious allegations of domestic abuse involving an officer and comes back with the conclusion that that officer should be fired. Should the police chief always uphold the recommendations of, say, an internal affairs department that has looked into domestic violence?

It’s hard to judge an individual case. Obviously as an investigator, I’ve advised police chiefs on this very thing, to fire police officers. Again, what do you communicate inside the ranks of your agency when you don’t have a standard of holding your own accountable? …

When you raise your hand to take your badge, it’s a big deal. It’s a life-changing thing for you because of the things you have to accept. Your life changes forever. You have to be willing to risk your life for people you don’t know every day. You have to be willing to take a life.

This is serious business, and you’re entrusted with the safety of the public. There’s nothing more precious than that. And how can we in police leadership turn loose on the public someone who we can’t trust to protect your rights? …

[question]A definition for officer-involved domestic violence? 

We define it as a police officer involved in domestic violence and police officer-involved sex assault and police officer-involved stalking.

We see officers commit the same kind of crimes that the general public commits, but obviously we want the chiefs to put this at a high priority and deal with it through selecting the right officers, training those officers; enforcing, reinforcing in the families that there’s an option for the families to come to law enforcement if they need assistance; training our first-line supervisors, our sergeants in the field, supervisors, an early-warning system where they see officers with problems, because sometimes you see other issues can come [up] with officers. Officers who are abusive to the public can sometimes also be abusive to their family members.

So we’re not wide-eyed about this. We know now after all these years that we hire people, and sometimes they bring violence with them. How do we keep that out is the true test of a police leader today.

[question]Can you cite some specifics in the model rules that you believe are the most important for police chiefs and departments to follow?

… With domestic violence cases, we should certainly look at the past and how we dealt with it in the past and correct those mistakes. We should look at it presently. How are we dealing with it today? How do we train our officers, select our officers, train our supervisors? How do we train our dispatchers? How do we train our civilian employees in law enforcement? Is there a standard in the department?

And the future is that if we have zero tolerance and we broadcast that zero tolerance and we change the culture in policing that says we’re not going to tolerate violence in our police families, then the future will take care of itself. Then people will come to us who want to work in an environment that’s nonviolent, and we’ll have a healthier criminal justice/law enforcement system in the United States.

[question]Is this issue that we’re talking about really just an internal affairs issue?

It’s something I’ve heard a lot of, that this is just an internal affair. In my mind it’s an external affair. That’s why some of the more progressive police departments have an internal track investigation that starts and an external track, because we’re talking about crime here, crime committed outside the agency against another family member. So this is absolutely external, and in my mind there’s no difference [from] the general public where domestic violence is committed. …

[question]Could you talk a little about the difficulties and the challenges involved in a law enforcement agency investigating one of its own? If the police officer is your abuser, who do you call? You call the police. Is that a problem?

I think the average number of officers per police department nationwide is like, five to eight officers, and sometimes agencies aren’t capable of investigating their own, so what we recommend is they collaborate with other agencies and create memorandums of understanding [MOU] that they’ll come in and investigate an allegation of domestic violence against their own.

That seems to work pretty well, because the smaller your agency is, the harder it is to find someone who doesn’t personally know and is a friend of the person who’s been accused of the domestic violence. So that’s a method that seems to work.

But there are challenges; there’s no question about it. … But it’s not impossible. And we want police chiefs to understand that there is that extra burden on officers to investigate, but the price is too high not to.

[question]Is there a propensity then to sort of close ranks in a way within law enforcement? 

There has been in the past a tendency to close ranks. But the problem with this is it’s not like it’s a single incident. Domestic violence — one of the common characteristics is it’s an ongoing course of conduct. Offenders don’t just do it once. They’ve done it many times.

Crisis lines will tell you that victims will call the crisis line for the first time on average after the fifth assault. … So we’re putting that victim in imminent danger if we don’t hold the officer-offender accountable. …

[question]… Where is the accountability in this? Where does the buck stop? 

The accountability rests with the chief law enforcement executive in every community. It’s her or his responsibility to make sure that domestic violence laws are enforced in the public and in police families.

[question]What if those individuals don’t enforce those laws? What’s to be done? 

It’s obvious. Do you want people who supervise and run and manage your law enforcement in your community that you pay for, do you want them to ignore domestic violence in a police family?

[question]So in other words, you’re saying the elected officials have a responsibility to remove the police chief?

Absolutely. What’s amazing to me is we’re having this conversation at all. I mean, could you imagine us sitting here talking about this and saying, how do you feel about officers using crack before they go to work, or how do you feel about the officer who every once in a while just robs a bank, or every once in a while decides to go in and steal a car from a dealership? We wouldn’t have this conversation.

Why is it that we’ve taken violence against women and separated that from other crimes? And that’s the bigger question, I think, for society. …