911 Telecommunicators Response to Family Violence Illinois Family Violence Coordinating - PowerPoint Presentation

911 Telecommunicators Response to Family Violence Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Councils Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders

Mary Ratliff Program Director Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council Francesca Mazurkiewicz Training Division, Office of Emergency Management and Communications City of Chicago Betsy Smith Supervisor, METCAD 9-1-1 Champaign County Urbana, IL

911 TelecommunicatorsPromising Practices Mini-Toolkit 4 Sections Title and Section pages (for those who want to print them all out)   Quick Reference Guide Component   Training Component  ( including PowerPoint and handouts) Resources Component

911 Telecommunicators Promising Practices Training Teams 911 representative from your community 911 Telecommunicator 911 Supervisor 911 Trainer Ideally would have two or three of the following Protocol Training Team members present the training: 911 representative DV advocate Law Enforcement Representative from Disabilities and/or Older Adult Agency Prosecutor

Tips for Training Notes on PowerPoint Handouts Customize PowerPoint for your local area Audience Participation Answer Questions periodically and at the end of presentation Include information on domestic violence, abuse against people with disabilities and abuse of older adults

Your response to a family violence call may effect the safety of the victim and community as well as victim’s future outreach for help.

Role of 911 Telecommunicators First contact a victim has with services Identifying family violence situations –assessment of threat level and communicate to first responders Link between the victim and the responding officers Information provided is vital to law enforcement response.

Family Violence Relationship violence is a serious crime. Violence might take the form of violence against a partner, a person with a disability, an older adult, sexual assault and/or stalking. Law enforcement has an opportunity to stop the escalation of violence.

Power and Control Wheel Courtesy Domestic Abuse Intervention Project Duluth, MN

P & C activity

How might power & control look for a person with a disability or older adult?

Tactics – People with Disabilities and Older Adults (1) Withhold care & denying basic needs Threatens to end relationship and leave unattended Threatens to have person institutionalized Threatens to take away services Taking assistive devices away Exposes disability (AIDS, mental illness)

Tactics – People with Disabilities and Older Adults (2) Blames disability/age for abuse Forces sex when individual may be unable to physically resist Uses medication to control Misuse of power of attorney or seeks guardianship Isolates and won’t let others in house

QUESTIONS

Call may NOT always present as Family Violence Call for medical help for injury How did it happen? Theft report from family member Victim doesn’t want the person arrested just want their things back Caller doesn’t want their partner outside their work- don’t want to talk to them Tell me more - what caused this? (could be stalking, abuse, intimidation)

The Victim Fearful, anxious Reluctant to respond when questioned or hesitates in providing info Flat affect and/or detached Reluctant to speak in front of their partner Injuries, unhealthy

The Family Violence Abuser Answers for or controls communication Denies or minimizes violence Talks about own problems Talks about themselves as a martyr Speaks disrespectfully or belittles the victim Has a condescending attitude

911 Calls http://www.ncdsv.org/ncd_911.html Family of Four – Child calls Newport News – women calls but then changes her mind The Physician – woman calls because she was being strangled

The Call - Background Listen for background sounds to help assess the situation to “read between the lines” and be alert to clues of family violence. What do I hear which might be an indicator of family violence? What do I hear of background conversations that can help identify the issues? Tell me exactly what happened.

The Call (2) Collect as much information as possible before law enforcement arrives. Give family violence calls the same priority as other cases involving physical violence or life-threatening behaviors.

The Call (3) The caller may need prompting to provide important details. Person calling might be highly emotional and may not provide all necessary information. Try to calm the person down and ask questions to obtain needed information.

Whole Picture Like a puzzle. Connect all the pieces: Caller statements Injury/illness Background Sounds/ Conversations + Others’ responses -------------------------------------- = Family violence

Victim – has more pieces of the puzzle you don’t have You may be concerned about physical injuries and caller is not clear how it happened. You may see options for caller that they either don’t see or don’t feel are options for them at that time.

Victim may recall pieces of the puzzle: Over a period of time – not all at once Out of order – seems chaotic

QUESTIONS

Response Procedures (1) Upon receiving a call regarding family violence obtain the following information: What is the emergency? Exact location Who am I speaking to? What number can I use if I need to call you back? Tell me what has happened?

Response Procedures (2) Has anyone been injured? If yes is an ambulance needed? Are you the victim? – if no, is caller a witness? Is the suspect present? What is his/her name Description(race, gender, clothing) If suspect no longer present – possible whereabouts, time suspect left the scene

Response Procedures (3) Are weapons present? If yes, what kind Has anyone there been drinking or using drugs? If yes, what substance Are children present? If yes how many and what age Are other people present? If yes how many? what relationship?

Procedure Response (4) Have the police been involved before? If yes, how many times When was the last time Names and addresses should be cross- referenced if possible to determine previous incidents Listen and be alert to things that might indicate a current order of protection or civil no contact order Source: “Handling a Domestic Violence Call: In-service Training for Police Dispatchers”, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice

Considerations when assessing call Could be victim, child, or third party/ neighbor Could be calm or very upset Might not be able to speak freely because offender is still there Might need medical attention but does not want to talk about what happened

Elicit Information Safely Verify that it is safe for the caller to remain on the line to speak freely If not free to speak ask yes or no questions Encourage the caller to tell what has happened Utilize strategies that promote safety Caller can set the phone down and keep as an open line

When caller is unable to talk clearly Could be because of fear, injury, disability or intoxication Could be from strangulation – if victim says they were choked that is strangulation and needs medical attention Slow down, simplify language and adjust response Ask caller to repeat it “what you have to say is very important and I want to understand” Try to calm caller “how can I help you?”

Working with Deaf Callers Interpretation Services TTY/TDD - caller types the situation Video Relay Services - caller signs with interpreter and interpreter verbally relays the message Text-to-911-caller texts situation in message area

What to say to victims Compassion Validate feelings “I’m sorry this happened to you” “You don’t deserve to be treated this way” “You have a right to be safe” “Help is available to you” “How can I help you?” Empathy and active listening skills

What not to say to victims “Why don’t you just leave?” “Why did you wait so long to get help?” “I think you should leave.” “What did you say or do that made him angry?” “Why do you put up with it?”

Safety Planning for Victims Friends/Family with whom they can stay Shelter Counseling Report to police Considerations for people with disabilities

Family Violence Services Domestic Violence Shelter and Victim Services Adult Protective Services Rape Crisis Centers

Support Services Care Coordination Units Centers for Independent Living Disabilities Service Providers

Thank you for what you do. YOU do make a difference in the lives of victims.

QUESTIONS

This project was supported by Grant No. 2014-WE-AX-0025 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women

Acknowledgements Information and Resources provided by: IL 4 th Judicial Circuit FVCC Law Enforcement Committee/OVW Rural Grant Committee “Handling a Domestic Violence Call: In-service Training for Police Dispatchers”, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Emergency Medical Dispatch: National Standard Curriculum, Module 2-Unit1, Pg 2-14, 2-15 National Center on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault - 911 / Emergency Call Taking Audio Recordings http://www.ncdsv.org/ncd_911.html

Mary Ratliff mary.ratliff@illinois.gov (217) 524-4745 Francesca Mazurkiewicz f rancesca.mazurkiewicz@cityofchicago.org Betsy Smith Betsy.smith@champaignil.gov

Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council http :// www.icjia.state.il.us/ifvcc