In recognition of October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Louisville Metro Government is releasing its second biennial report to help curb incidents and attacks.
"Domestic violence touches every person in our community, in one way or another," Mayor Greg Fischer said. "It may be happening to a friend, family member or even a co-worker, so it is extremely important that we use this opportunity and this data to help build awareness and provide information to our residents about the available services and resources."The study reviewed 16 cases of domestic violence deaths and found eight were homicides, four were murder/suicides and two were attempted murder/suicides. Two deaths involved other circumstances.It shows almost have of those deaths involved a firearm.Among the over two dozen recommendations made by the city's Fatality Review Committee are:
- Encouraging employers to provide domestic violence awareness training to all personnel
- Encouraging the Louisville Bar Association to offer training on domestic violence lethality factors for members of the bar practicing domestic relations law;
- Recommending that law enforcement and the courts establish a new protocol on handling of cases of domestic violence that involve multiple jurisdictions.
The panel is a subcommittee of the city's Domestic Violence Prevention Coordinating Council, which was created by ordinance in 1996."The committee has served our community for over 18 years. Through the dedication of the membership, the committee continues to identify system-based opportunities for improvements in violence prevention and intervention policies, procedures and coordinated strategies, make recommendations for system change and raise public awareness about intimate partner violence," says Jefferson County Family Judge Jerry Bowles, who is co-chair of the review committee. "As a result of the collaboration of the participants, our community has had a significant reduction in domestic violence homicides."You can download the report here.
