County of Gaston issued the following announcement on Oct. 10.
The Hope United Survivor Network is preparing to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October by highlighting the work of its Coordinated Community Response Team and announcing a partnership with District Attorney Travis Page and the Gaston County Police Chief Association.
A significant way the community can support the work of Hope United is through the Threads of Hope event on Thursday, November 3, at the Veronét Vineyards winery in Kings Mountain. All proceeds from this event will go directly back to survivors in our community who have been impacted by trauma.
The keynote speaker for the event is author Stephanie Land, who wrote the best-selling memoir ‘Maid.’ Land’s book was recently turned into a television series on Netflix.
The event is set for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and tickets – which are on sale for $50 per person and include dinner prepared by a local chef and a taste of Veronét Vineyard’s finest-- can be purchased online at hopeunitedgaston.com/threads-of-hope/.
The partnership between HUSN, District Attorney Page, the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office and the GCPCA is a rollout of the Danger Assessment for Law Enforcement (DA-LE). The tool, which was developed by the Geiger Institute, is an 11-question, evidence-based risk assessment instrument. This assists law enforcement in identifying survivors who are at the highest risk of intimate partner homicide and near-lethal assault.
“This approach when responding to domestic violence will provide important information during the court process that ensures offenders are held accountable,” said Chief District Court Judge John K. Greenlee.
“I would like to thank each law enforcement agency within Gaston County as well as the District Attorney’s Office and Hope United for coming together to implement this program,” said Cherryville Police Chief Cam Jenks, who serves as the president of the Gaston County Police Chief Association. “This is a testament to the leadership and focus of agencies within Gaston County as we work together to combat domestic violence across our communities.”
The work done with training officers through DA-LE builds on the existing partnership between Page’s office and HUSN to not only better serve the survivors of domestic violence but help reduce the traumatic impact on the community.
"During my first year as District Attorney, we have worked hard to prioritize our domestic violence prosecutions. The implementation of the DA-LE is the culmination of the tireless, collective efforts of the District Attorney's Office, our law enforcement, and the Hope United Survivor Network,” Page said. “Specifically, this tool will allow my office to identify and aggressively prosecute our most serious domestic violence offenders, while coordinating a host of resources for our survivors.
“We anticipate the impact of this program will affect and improve the lives of Gaston County families for generations."
The work on DA-LE started with the Coordinated Community Response Team. The CCRT brings together partners from multiple county departments, municipal law enforcement, the District Attorney’s Office, and court system, as well as nonprofits and the private sector. The rollout of the DA-LE program is just one of the initiatives of this group, which meets monthly to identify gaps in service and remove barriers.
“I am proud to be a part of this collaborative that is making strides towards building a safer community” Greenlee said.
“We are grateful for every agency and individual in our community that has come forward to participate in this work,” HUSN Executive Director Tara Joyner said. “Only together can we make a significant impact on reducing the incidences of domestic violence and abuse in our community.”
Original source can be found here.
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