High-risk teams to address domestic violence in Nevada
Cooperative Extension
Extension domestic violence high-risk teams will work with local law enforcement and other agencies to provide resources to domestic violence victims.
Victims of domestic violence at high risk of fatality in Elko and Clark counties are getting more comprehensive assistance to keep them safe and set them on a path to a secure, self-sufficient life, thanks to a new University of Nevada, Reno Extension program. Teams will be assembled to follow up with domestic violence victims after initial contact with law enforcement to provide them with resources and support to help them with recovery moving forward. Extension’s Domestic Violence High Risk Team Program was funded last July by a $173,207 grant from the STOP Violence Against Women Act Program, administered here in Nevada by the Office of the Attorney General. Extension has been working with the issue of domestic violence since 2004, through its Heart and Shield Program that evolved into the Heart & Hope Program, which has worked with law enforcement to develop and provide law enforcement training on how to respond to domestic violence calls, as well as worked with victims on recovery. Extension Educator Emeritus Pam Powell began the work in Churchill County, and then expanded it to other areas of the state, including Elko County, where current Extension Educator Jill Baker-Tingey has played an active role growing Extension’s work with domestic violence. According to the Violence Policy Center, Nevada ranked in the top five states in the nation for the number of domestic violence fatalities for the fifth year in a row in 2019. The Nevada Department of Public Safety reported that there is one domestic violence offense every 17 minutes and 18 seconds. In addition, recent reports by the National Domestic Violence Hotline indicate that the rates have increased even more during the pandemic. With domestic violence being a critical issue in Nevada, Extension’s grant proposal included four primary components: • Identifying and analyzing gaps in existing services. • Revising preexisting law enforcement training developed by Extension’s Heart & Hope Program and law enforcement partners. • Implementing a high-risk team model to provide wrap-around services to victims. • Family violence prevention programming to teach youth and adult survivors how to break the cycle of violence. When a call to law enforcement pertains to domestic violence, Extension’s newly established high-risk teams will provide the victim with information on a variety of necessary services, including counseling and legal assistance, as well as basic necessities, such as shelter and food. Pamela Payne, assistant professor and the principal investigator for the grant, and her team are partnering with the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center to develop these teams. The teams will work with the Crisis Center to ensure they’re working with appropriate community resources to best serve the local area. “The Domestic Violence High Risk Team Program is an innovative approach that brings multiple agencies together to save lives in Nevada,” Attorney General Aaron Ford said. “Reducing domestic violence and its impacts on Nevada families is a critical priority at the Office of the Attorney General, and I am proud to support this program.” Payne and her team are focusing specifically on calls that have a high risk for fatality. While the team would like to expand enough to respond to every domestic violence call, their immediate goal is to assist on calls with the highest risks for the victims. “We’re excited to be able to work with some great community partners, especially those with established services who are already helping to support victims of domestic violence” Payne said. “Our hope is to learn more about each county and area specifically so that we can tailor our resources to their needs.”
