Longview has struggled with high rates of domestic violence for many years, but police are optimistic that a new detective assigned to the problem will bring those numbers down.
“We have a significant problem with rates of domestic violence,” Captain Robert Huhta said Thursday. “Our goal is to reduce it below the state average and send a message to suspects in our community that domestic violence will not be tolerated.”
The 2016 state rate of domestic violence reports was 7 per 1,000 residents. In Longview it was 10.9 per 1,000, or 56 percent higher than the statewide rate.
Lowering domestic violence rates to below the state average has been a City Council directive for many years, Police Chief Jim Duscha said. Now that the department is up to full staffing levels with 60 officers, and the police station remodel is complete, Duscha said the agency has reassigned one detective to focus on domestic violence.
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Detective Dawn Taylor, who has been with the Longview Police Department since 2002, said she was eager to start her new position on Tuesday because she became a police officer to stop bullies.
As the new domestic violence detective, Taylor said she will use her experience and her connections to support and educate both victims and suspects affected by domestic violence.
“We’re trying to be proactive rather than reactive,” Taylor said. “We’re trying to bridge gaps and provide resources.”
Longview has high rates of domestic violence because it has not had the personnel to follow-up with victims and break the “cycle of violence,” Duscha said. This cycle typically starts with verbal assaults before escalating into physical assaults. Then the abuser might apologize, prompting the victim to forgive them and take them back, entering a honeymoon phase. Then the cycle begins again.
Statistically, victims often are assaulted seven times before they first report it, Duscha said.
Consistent check-ins and support are key to disrupting that pattern, he said. Longview had success with these tactics when it had a domestic violence unit for about five years in the 1990s, but funding cuts led to disbanding the unit, Duscha said. Domestic violence reports have increased since then.
Captain Huhta, a patrol officer at that time, said having that unit freed up patrol officers to respond to other possible emergencies.
“We weren’t repeatedly responding to the same location time and time again,” he said. “There was a noticeable difference between having that unit in place compared to when it was disbanded later on.”
Domestic violence calls typically require two or three responding officers because they can be dangerous situations due to heightened emotions, Huhta said. Therefore, constant calls to the same location can drain a lot of police resources.
Now that the police department has filled all of its positions, it can dedicate a detective position to domestic violence at no additional cost, Duscha said.
He stressed that the city can’t arrest its way out of the problem. Instead, the domestic violence detective position will focus on a more comprehensive solution, which will include giving the victim and abuser help to change their behavior.
“Domestic violence isn’t just a one-time deal. It’s deep-rooted,” Taylor said. “It’s a lifestyle. … They grow up with (violence) and enter adult relationships and it starts again on that same wheel. We’re trying to break that pattern.”
Taylor said she will reach out to households that have had multiple emergency calls related to domestic violence, follow-up with victims and family members to make sure they know about resources in Longview and help victims through the legal process.
Huhta said the prosecution process can often be scary, uncomfortable and expensive for victims.
“It can be intimidating to testify when it’s someone that you love and cared deeply about,” he said. “To be there in open court and testify about very intimate details in people’s lives can be very daunting.”
Victims often worry about what may happen to their children or their pets if they press charges. And abuse can become much worse once the suspect is released from jail, Duscha said. All of these factors make it difficult for someone to leave an abusive relationship.
Taylor said she will work with local agencies such as the Emergency Support Center, Child Protective Services and medical providers to make sure both victims and suspects get the help they need to change their behavior.
Huhta said Taylor is a good fit because she is a tenacious but compassionate go-getter who has a lot of experience in Longview.
Sgt. Chris Blanchard said Taylor always made an effort to reach out to victims and suspects while a patrol officer.
“She was already doing this kind of work on patrol, but was limited in the amount of time she had,” Blanchard said. “So it was a natural fit.”
Taylor said she has already developed relationships with many local agencies so they can work together to provide the necessary help.
“I don’t have all the answers, but I’ll send them to someone who does. And I won’t stop until I can find that person who can help them.”