Program Aims at Early Intervention for Domestic Abuse

West Hollywood has launched an early intervention program for victims of domestic violence. The program trains volunteers to link victims with resources geared for the city’s gay and lesbian, Russian American and immigrant populations.

After a report of domestic violence, sheriff’s deputies give the person a multilingual information assistance card that lists hotline numbers for different agencies.

A few days later, a volunteer calls victims to see if they have contacted any of the agencies and urges them to seek intervention.

“They’ll be able to spend a little more time offering solutions than a detective who has 30 or 40 cases,” said Deputy Bruce Thomas, crime prevention officer at the West Hollywood sheriff’s station.

“Otherwise, [follow-up with victims] would definitely not be as in-depth.”

Early intervention volunteers began training last month in emergency protective orders, referrals and various options for victims in abusive relationships. The city’s program has added eight volunteers to the county station’s domestic violence project.