Calvert - County Times - Southern Maryland Online

The Calvert Gazette
Thursday, March 7, 2013 12
STORY
Calvert Will Expose Domestic Violence
By Sarah Miller
Staff Writer
Forty percent of all reported domestic
violence victims have been strangled within
the previous year. Sixty two percent of these
cases had no visible sign of injury. The victim
will recant accusations in 70-80 percent
these cases the victim will recant because
she doesn’t understand the danger she is in.
Wednesday afternoon, representatives
from Safe Harbor, Inc. presented the county’s
law enforcement community a new tool
to assist in prosecuting domestic violence
abusers.
The Tool
The new Kwiklite ultra-violet alternative
light source camera lens and stabilizer
illuminates dried blood and reveals subdermal
bruising in a strangulation victim
– the type of bruising invisible to the naked
eye, either showing up after the incident
or not at all, said Crime Scene Technician
Greg Crump.
Bruises appear in digital images because
the lens detects body fluids. Strangulation
leaves blood close to the surface of
the skin.
The new lens and light will speed up
the process in photographing evidence.
Photos admissible as evidence, according to
State’s Attorney Laura L. Martin.
Ease of mobility allows the camera
to be transported to the hospital or to the
crime scene. The unit, stored in a container
the size of a briefcase, will become the primary
camera used, replacing a bulkier camera
wand, lugged around in a large box on
wheels. The old camera is still useable and
will remain in the field, Crump said.
Trained to use the equipment when
Safe Harbor purchased it, Crump said the
learning curve included understanding the
different settings needed for different skin
tones.
If demand for the camera is high, both
at crime scenes and to photograph abuse
victims, the sheriff’s office may apply for
grants to purchase a second one, Crump
said.
Safe Harbor board member Ed Apple
negotiated an agreement with the camera
supplier to train additional individuals.
The Problem
Victims don’t recognize they have
been strangled. When asked if their abuser
strangled them, they often say their attacker
grabbed them, or choked them, Crump said.
Strangling is an anoxic injury; meaning
airflow is cut off during the incident,
according to Phyllis Poole of the Crisis Intervention
Center.
Those working with domestic violence
victims fight the misconception that strangulation
is premeditated, uses ligatures or
ends in death.
Two recent domestic violence deaths,
one each in Calvert and St. Mary’s, seem to
substantiate this mindset.
In her application for a protective order
Kimberly Dawn Carter wrote “In the past
three or more years – numerous times – too
many to remember, he has hit, chocked,
kicked, punched and slapped me.”
Inside law enforcement sources said
allegations of strangulation proceeded the
July 31, 2012 murder/suicide in Owings,
claiming the lives of Cynthia Hayward, 31,
Natalee Hayward, 2, and Frank Hayward
Jr., 32. Frank Hayward III survived the attack
by his father.
Organizations like Crisis Intervention
attempt to educate victims about the serious
health repercussions of strangulation. Damage
and clots in the carotid artery can cause
strokes and death within months or years
of the attack. The manhandling can cause
miscarriages, which the victim may not
connect with their attack. This can cause
loss of consciousness and brain damage,
Poole said.
Advocates counsel victims not to believe
they deserve the abuse or that they are
alone in their experiences. The earlier they
can reach a victim, the more likely it is the
individual can be persuaded to leave a hazardous
situation.
The Solutions
The Strangulation Project
This initiative brought together representatives
from law enforcement, state’s
attorney’s office, Safe Harbor and the medical
community to provide a comprehensive
solution to domestic violence.
Prior to the Hayward murder/suicide
last August, members of the Domestic
Response Team talked about the county’s
desire to “stay on the cutting edge” and be
proactive in offering services. The result
has been Calvert County’s participation in
two pilot projects. First was the use of “Domestic
Violence Lethality Screen For First
Responders.” All deputies are trained to
administer a one-page questionnaire at the
scene. This survey is based upon researched
criteria determining the level of risk the person
is in. If there is a “yes” to any of the first
three questions, the victim is automatically
referred to the Domestic Response Team.
Once a case is funneled to the team,
someone will take the victim’s statement,
have injuries forensically photographed
then collect a protective order, search warrant
and arrest warrant.
“I like to think of it as a one-stop-shop.
We execute it all at once to help the victim
from doing many steps throughout several
days,” Sgt. Timothy Fridman said last
August.
The Strangulation Project is as much
about education as using the camera to
document evidence. Someone will explain
to the victim that choking is in fact strangulation
and describe the seriousness of the
threat.
The second pilot program for the initiative
came with Safe Harbor’s $18,000 purchase
of the alternative light source camera.
If a victim does recant, the state’s attorney’s
office can use the digital evidence
to force the cases further,” according to previous
statements from Martin.
Safe Harbor
In 1991, a taskforce assembled to address
the needs of abused persons. Out of
this taskforce grew Safe Harbor, Inc. Linda
Kelly and Ed Apple have been Safe Harbor
Board of Directors since the beginning.
Photo by Frank Marquart
Phyllis Poole, left, State’s Attorney Laura Martin, Sgt. Tim Fridman (back), Linda Kelley, Sheriff Mike Evans
and Crime Scene Technician Greg Crump assemble for Safe Harbor’s presentation of a special camera.
Safe Harbor, Inc. became a formal
501(c)3 non-profit organization to act as a
conduit for grants and to handle donations
coming into the health department.
Victims of domestic violence receive
food, shelter, safety, counseling and medical
services between the county’s health
department and Safe Harbor, which contributes
a minimum of $30,000 annually to
the county to support a shelter, according
Apple.
Some donations come from individuals
who once needed Safe Harbor’s services.
One woman stayed at the house for a couple
days, then moved out of the area and disappeared.
A couple years later they heard
from her again. She had divorced her abusive
husband, and wanted to donate $10,000
to Safe Harbor so it could help others in the
same situation. Her large donations continued
for a few years, Apple said.
Such large donations are unusual, but
it went to prove the services Safe Harbor offers
are needed and appreciated.
All money collected during the year
goes into the operation of the shelter, Kelley
said. The directors are volunteers. The
organization has no overhead or administrative
fees. Volunteers don’t receive reimbursement
for gas expenses, she said.
Safe Harbor volunteers have learned to
stretch a dollar and take advantage of programs
open to shelters, Apple said. When
the county had to cut their donation, he
found a program to purchase food from
panties. The purchase of commercial grade
freezers and refrigerators allows him to
fill a truck with bulk food every couple of
months, paying less than he could at a grocery
store.
A mattress supplier provided Kelly a
steep discount upon discovering the purchase
was for a shelter.
The shelter has a small supply of cash
on hand to help buy clothing and school
supplies for parents and children who left
their home with nothing.
Some money is used to help victims
get a fresh start. If an individual has a job
and all they need is money for a rent deposit,
Kelley said Safe Harbor will help, providing
assistance for furniture if needed.
The Shelter
After a violent incident, both parties
go into a honeymoon phase, according the
State’s Attorney Martin. The victim becomes
convinced their significant other
will not hurt them again, that it was a mistake,
that they did something to deserve the
abuse and everything will be fine if they
don’t do it again.
Eventually the honeymoon phase levels
out and tensions begin to rise again,
culminating in another violent episode, thus
perpetuating the cycle, Martin said.
Generally, a victim will go back seven
or eight times before deciding to take action
to get out. When children are involved, the
victim tries to reconcile with the abuser to
keep the family together. Emotional and
monetary investments hold the victim in the
situation, hoping for a change.
Removing the victim from the cycle
can prevent deaths related to domestic
violence.
And when death occurs, a record of
past episodes usually comes to light, Martin
said.
“When they’re living it, they can’t see
it,” she said.
Safe Harbor shelter is a safe haven for
female victims and their children. Some
stay for a night or two, until they find another
living situation. Others have stayed
for six months or more while trying to get
back on their feet. There is no time limit for
a stay, and victims do not pay to stay in the
shelter.
“You don’t get your life back in three
days,” Kelley said.
The shelter will not turn anyone away
if it runs out of rooms, leasing local hotel
space for short-term residents.
Victims can receive free counseling at
the Crisis Intervention Center located at the
Calvert County Health Department.
The Helpline is open 24 hours a day
and can be reached at 410-535-2212. All inquiries
are confidential.
Anyone interested in working with
Safe Harbor should contact Kelley at ltkelley@comcast.net.
sarahmiller@countytimes.net