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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW LISTEN: Recording of 911 dispatch during UCC shooting ... UPDATED: Multiple deaths reported following shooting at Umpqua Community College ... City will dedicate new community center Saturday ... LISTEN: Recording of 911 dispatch during UCC shooting ... UPDATED: Multiple deaths reported following shooting at Umpqua Community College ... City will dedicate new community center Saturday ... OUR VIEW Our View: Police helping abuse victims break the cycle MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> It's well-known that public school teachers often must function like social workers as they struggle to teach students suffering the effects of dysfunctional families, parental neglect and substance abuse. Now, another profession is following the same path: police officers. Police departments are realizing their officers need to know how to respond appropriately when they encounter mentally ill people who may be violent because they are experiencing a crisis. A year and a half ago, the Medford department expanded that social service role by starting a domestic violence outreach program. Police often are called to domestic dispute incidents involving violence between intimate partners. The new program is designed to intervene in these situations before they turn violent or even lethal. In Oregon, statistics show homicide victims are more likely than not to have known their killer intimately. Police Chief Tim George credits the program, launched with a federal grant, for the fact that the city has not had a domestic violence homicide in more than two years. The outreach program pairs veteran police officer Bob McCurley with a trained domestic violence advocate from Community Works. Every week, the two follow up on 15 to 20 recent domestic violence incidents first handled by police officers or potentially dangerous situations reported by abuse survivors or referred by community service agencies. The goal is to work with abuse victims to encourage them to leave their abusive situations and not reconnect with their abuser. Victims are referred to medical, housing and counseling services as needed. The department also is implementing a new "lethality assessment" questionnaire for police officers in the field to use to identify those situations most at risk of escalating violence so the outreach program can respond where the need is most critical. Investigating crimes after they occur and arresting and locking up suspects is still a vital part of police work. But when the crime is homicide, the best investigation in the world can't help the victim. This program offers the opportunity to prevent homicides from occurring in the first place by intervening before a situation escalates to the point of no return. McCurley says he finds"a lot of satisfaction" when he sees abuse victims break the cycle of violence on a regular basis. That's the kind of job fulfillment we would hope every police officer can experience. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501