Domestic Abuse Response Teams (DART)
The funding's running out in December

UPDATE: The LA City Council Public Safety Committee takes up this issue this week. Please see item seven of the Public Safety Agenda. The DART motion regarding resources city wide is on the agenda for this Monday, November 25th at 10:00 AM. The other motion regarding emergency funding will be scheduled on December 9th.

At Los Angeles Community Policing we've been hoping that the Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) program could be expanded to all the Divisions throughout the Los Angeles area (please read the description of DART below).

Now we're alarmed to learn that one of the most meaningful aspects of the program, the support provided by those doing the much needed follow-up of cases, could be disbanded due to a lack of funding.

DART team members themselves, for the most part trained community volunteers who are the first responders, do not require funding. But the follow-up does.

What better way is there to free up LAPD officers to fight real crime on the streets than to have trained volunteer DART members go out on Domestic Violence calls with the officers ... calls that help victims find a way out of the cycle of violence with intervention and prevention programs?

Domestic violence is more than just a "family problem" ... it is a crime. One of every two families in the United States is involved in domestic violence at some time and in California it's a crime for any person to threaten, beat, sexually assault or otherwise harm another person, even if they are married. The Los Angeles Police Department recognizes that domestic violence is a major problem.

We at LA Community Policing believe it should be high on the list of public safety issues for every Angeleno ... alongside the issues related to LA's gangs and homeless / mentally ill.

On Wednesday, October 9, 2002, Councilmember Eric Garcetti introduced a motion for emergency funding to preserve Domestic Violence services in the City of Los Angeles, instructing City staff to identify funding to sustain Domestic Abuse Response Teams in the Hollywood, Valley, Newton, Central, 77th, and Southwest Divisions of LAPD.

The federal grants that previously funded these teams have not been continued and will expire in December.

The motion was adopted on October 30, 2002, and calls on City staff to report back to the LA City Council Public Safety Committee within 30 days (of 10/30) with potential funding sources to keep the DART programs going.

Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski chairs the Public Safety Committee. Their agenda appears weekly on the LA Community Policing website (LACP.org) at the top of the homepage under Public Safety, but community members can inquire with her office to find out when they plan on scheduling this issue.

Testifying at the hearing would be a good way to show community support for the emergency funding.

Garcetti stated, “Domestic Violence is one of our most challenging public safety problems. DART is a critical service for tackling that problem, for breaking the cycle of violence. The Police Department receives over 40,000 domestic violence calls every year. It is unconscionable to think of reducing these services just because governments are having a difficult budget year.”

Bobbi Goodum of Project Peacemakers, the DART provider at 77th Street Division said, “DART is an absolutely critical part of the City’s Domestic Violence services. We are very grateful to Councilmember Garcetti for recognizing this and taking the initiative to preserve the program.”

DART pairs specially trained domestic violence advocates with police officers and emergency room personnel to provide a coordinated response on Domestic Violence related calls. These response teams provide on-site intervention that includes linking victims with resources such as shelter, medical attention, counseling and other related services.

These programs also work to increase the number of investigations and arrests for cases involving domestic violence, rape, stalking and elder abuse. Some DART programs are also able to provide law enforcement personnel with training on domestic violence response and investigation techniques.

Garcetti added, “Coordinated response is the key here. DART gives victims a way out of the cycle of violence by providing intervention, counseling, shelter and services at the moment of crisis. In the long term, my vision is to have this kind of response available for every domestic violence call, at every Police Division in the City. For the time being we must, at the very least, preserve what we have already built.”

As noted, the motion was adopted on October 30 and referred to the Council’s Public Safety Committee. Recommendations on funding sources, due to expire in December, were expected within 30 days time.

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For more information about the progress of the Council motion,
please contact Bea Hsu in Councilmember Garcetti’s Office at:
213 / 473 7013
email: bhsu@council.lacity.org

For more information about the Public Safety Committee,
please contact the offices of Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski at:
213 / 485-3811 (City Hall) or 310 / 568-8772 (Field Office)
email: miscikow@council.lacity.org

or call Brian Walters, Legislative Assistant for Public Safety Committee at:
213 / 978-1078

For more information about the DART program at 77th Street Division,
please contact Bobbi Goodum, Project Peacemakers at:
323 / 291-2525
email: dart77@aol.com

Women experiencing domestic-violence problems
can seek counseling and shelter through the following programs:

in all of
Los Angeles

Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women
213 / 955-9090

24 hour hotlines:
626 / 793-3385
310 / 392-8381
213 / 626-3393

in the
San Fernando Valley

Women Advancing the Valley
Through Education, Economics and Empowerment
818 / 838-9283

Family Violence Project
818 / 505-0900

Domestic Abuse Center
818 / 772-0176

in the
State of California:

California Alliance Against Domestic Violence
800 / 524-4765

Statewide California Coalition for Battered Women
888 / 722-2952

California Safe at Home Program
877 / 322-5227

Nationally:

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
800 / 537-2238

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About Domestic Abuse Response Teams

Several Divisions in the city implement a Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) Car. The purpose of the DART program is to respond to the scene of a domestic violence call and to provide intervention through family counseling, referrals to shelters, assistance in obtaining emergency protection orders (EPO), as well as other forms of intervention depending on the particular domestic violence situation.

The DART program consists of various community members and sworn personnel. Individual training is provided to officers assigned to the DART unit as well as handout material, and DART volunteers are required to complete a vigorous course of training.

The goal of the course is to provide each volunteer with the fundamentals of handling domestic violence crimes. The curriculum consists of laws pertaining to domestic violence, safety issues, restraining orders and role playing skits involving scenarios that might be encountered in the field.

The DART Car is generally deployed on Fridays and/or Saturdays during the mid-evening watch hours, since it's been determined that's when the majority of domestic violence incidents occur. Deployment of the basic DART Car consists of one uniformed officer with a trained citizen volunteer.

When a domestic violence call is broadcast, the DART Unit will respond. Ideally for safety reasons a primary Basic Car (a Black and White patrol car) arrives first and stabilizes the situation. But depending on the call load and deployment, the DART Unit may handle the entire call, including booking of the suspect.

At the very least, the DART Unit will provide counseling and assistance in locating suitable shelter for the victims as needed.

While difficult to measure, the general consensus is that the DART Car program has proven effective. Obviously, due to deployment needs, the DART Car is not able to handle every domestic violence incident. It is estimated that the Unit handles approximately one-third of these calls on a given night.

Perhaps more importantly, it has been noted that the investigations conducted by personnel assigned to the DART Unit are thorough and complete and usually result in charges being filed. In addition, the victims are afforded the opportunity to participate in counseling.

This has resulted in the victims being more cooperative at the time of prosecution and, in the long-run, should help break the cycle of violence.

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Click here for more information about the
nuts and bolts of how to deal with:

Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence Hotline:
800 / 978-3600

National Domestic Violence Hotline:
800 / 799-SAFE (7233)
TDD 800 / 787-3224

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