This news item expired on Friday, October 31, 2014 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
We've gone purple for October to draw attention to our community's efforts toward Domestic Violence prevention.
Earlier this year, Buncombe County Government, with the help of community partners, the courts, law enforcement and local municipalities, began implementing a comprehensive plan to address the growing problem of domestic violence in our community.
With recent incidents in the news, the “eNOugh campaign” has begun to attract attention across the state as part of efforts to raise community awareness and help send a clear message that domestic violence is not tolerated in our community.
The plan includes the use of electronic monitoring that will track the offender 24/7 and alert the victim and law enforcement if the offender goes near the victim. This will give the victim time to implement a safety plan. It will become standard protocol for officers at the scene to notify Helpmate to reach out to the victim instead of waiting for the victim to make the call.
Commissioner Holly Jones said that “a big part of this plan is to send a clear message that this community does not tolerate domestic violence and sending this message is part of a plan already implemented in Highpoint, North Carolina, where they have reduced their domestic homicides from 17 to 1 over a period of 4 years.”
Domestic Violence is the leading cause of injury to women – more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined, and the seventh leading cause of death. In Buncombe in 2012 there were 752 domestic violence orders of arrest, and in 2013 there were five domestic violence homicides. It has been found that 65% of domestic violence victims had contact with the criminal justice system or a health care professional before they were murdered, 58% of perpetrators had been arrested before they killed their partners, and 22% had seen a mental health professional. There is an opportunity to intervene and this comprehensive plan will provide the tools. The success of this initiative can make the community safer for everyone.
If you or someone you know needs help, contact Helpmate at 254-0516 or visit helpmateonline.org.
For more information about the plan, check out buncombecounty.org/enough and/or contact:
Rebecca Knight at rebecca.knight@buncombecounty.org or 828-301-6438.