Boulder DA creates domestic violence response team to better connect with victims

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Mitchell Byars, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.
·4 min read
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Apr. 24—In the wake of an increase in domestic violence cases during the pandemic, the Boulder County District Attorney's Office has created a domestic violence acute response team that will work to establish contact with victims sooner in the process to help prosecute cases and connect survivors with protection and resources.

Deputy District Attorney Anne Kelly said she proposed the idea to Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty last summer.

"We were thinking about ways that we could improve our response to domestic in the summer of last year, and we were doing it in response to a dramatic increase in our domestic violence cases in the county," Kelly said.

Dougherty brought Kelly onto his staff because of her expertise dealing with domestic violence crimes, as he said he wanted to make prosecuting those cases a priority for the office.

"She's been pushing us to improve our domestic violence response ever since she arrived," Dougherty said.

Dougherty's office applied for a grant and was able to use that money also to hire a new deputy district attorney, Alison Brand, and a new investigator, Sandra Campanella, to serve on the team alongside Kelly.

Brand prosecuted domestic violence cases in San Francisco, while Campanella was a longtime Longmont police detective who specialized in domestic violence cases and has won numerous awards for her work with victims.

"We have the dream team for domestic violence cases working with this protocol," Dougherty said.

The primary goal of the team will be to establish face to face contact with victims within 48 hours of an arrest. In prior years, Dougherty said victims would talk to police and detectives but might not be able to immediately see a prosecutor.

"This changes that from a couple of weeks to a couple of days, and that makes a difference," Dougherty said. "The team works to immediately contact them, and we do form a stronger connection, build more trust and do a better job of prosecuting the case."

Kelly said making a quick connection is more important in domestic violence cases than with other crimes. Kelly noted that a federal study found 80% to 85% of domestic violence victims either later recant or minimize their statements or refuse to participate in prosecution.

Kelly noted that fear of retribution, financial pressures or even feelings for the defendant come into play in abusive relationships.

"The dynamics of domestic violence often suggest that early intervention is key to making sure that we have enough info to ascertain their safety and assist them with resources," Kelly said. "Law enforcement does an excellent job investigating the incident at hand, but they don't always have the resources to spend the kind of time it takes to understand the dynamics of the relationship that often goes back years."

Kelly said it is also important to make contact early to determine whether there are any safety concerns for the victim.

"When the trauma from the event starts to wane and those other dynamics take place, it's not as comfortable for the victims to tell us everything we need to keep them safe," Kelly said. "What we're doing is we're trying to find the time when the victim is most willing to disclose the material factors that could determine the lethality of that relationship."

Since its inception in November, the acute response team already has acted on 263 misdemeanor and 125 felony domestic violence cases.

"By going out and talking to these victims, we were able to connect them with the great resources here in Boulder County," Dougherty said.

And while a spike in cases due to the pandemic is what prompted the new response, Dougherty said this is a strategy his office is "100% committed to" even after coronavirus-related restrictions are lifted.

"This is a real focus for us and something we put a tremendous amount of resources and energy into," Dougherty said.

The new response team is just one way Dougherty said his office is trying to help domestic violence victims. In addition to pushing for more legislation to protect victims, Dougherty said he is trying to get Boulder County to build a family justice center. Dougherty said a building that housed both law enforcement representatives and agencies that handled child services and financial aid would ease the burden on victims.

"We'd love to have one building or one office where all those resource providers, including DA and detectives, are housed together," Dougherty said. "We're hoping that the increased collaboration (as a result of the domestic violence response team) is a natural transition to setting up a family justice center."

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