THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 2, 1994 TAG: 9407020578
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
O.J. Simpson sits stoically in court preoccupied with murder charges, unaware of how his case has galvanized the public to respond to domestic violence.
Locally, all of the area battered women's shelters are filled and Suffolk's police chief issued a directive Thursday emphasizing the department's adherence to the state's pro-arrest policy in handling domestic violence calls.
Joy Wright, hot-line coordinator for Virginians Against Domestic Violence, is amazed by the response.
``It's pretty normal for the shelters to be near capacity. Sixty-two percent of the victims who tried to get shelter last year were turned away for space,'' Wright said.
``But I think this kind of turnout in Virginia is unprecedented. A lot of shelters are beyond capacity, using hotel rooms, safe homes, way beyond capacity.''
In May, the state hot line received 81 domestic violence calls, but in June the number zoomed to 186 - 106 of those calls coming within the last two weeks.
``Part of that comes from just getting our number out there. Women now have a number to call that they didn't have before,'' Wright said.
``Some callers do mention the O.J. Simpson case. It made them take it more seriously. Many took it seriously before, but they didn't know they could call us.''
Diane Hall, director of the Genieve Shelter in western Tidewater, said it has been inundated with calls. Half of the calls are from women wanting to get help while the other half are in response to an article that appeared in The Virginian-Pilot/Ledger-Star last week about how area police departments handle domestic violence. Suffolk's public information officer provided an example of how his department might handle a situation that set off a round of criticism.
The Suffolk Police Department apparently was flooded with calls and police Chief G.F. Jackson issued a directive to all law enforcement officials clarifying their stance in favor of arrests.
The policy allows arrests without warrants when a police officer believes a person has committed assault and battery against a family or household member, whether or not the incident occurred in the officer's presence.
If an officer believes there is probable danger of further assault, the officer also may petition for an emergency protective order.
Hall said the shelter is working with court services and the victim witness program to develop a domestic violence training program for the Suffolk Police Department.
KEYWORDS: DOMESTIC VIOLENCCE by CNB