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REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Date: 4/2912002 page two As a police department, we need to seek constructive ways to reduce family violence and its impact to the family unit and society. With monies available through the COPS grant, the department would restructure the Juvenile Division to include a Chlld and family violence investigator to maximize the safety of children and adult victims of violence and to improve the successful investigation and prosecution of violent crime that would in turn reduce barriers for victims seeking help. The objective of the position would be: 1) Develop a protocol outlining response to family violence. 2) Train officers on child, elder, and domestic abuse protocol, authority, responsibility, services for victims, and safety issues of victims. 3) Ensure all victims of child and domestic abuse receive all necessary services. 4) Strengthen partnerships with other groups concerned with domestic violence. 5) Increase the number of battered women receiving protection and services critical to stopping or escaping the violence. 6) Enhance community awareness and support for addressing issues of family violence. 7) Consistently hold perpetrators of violence accountable for the abuse. 8) Provide consistent contact for victims of violent crime. 9) Increase the number of reports as a by product of increased access and level of trust. The added investigator would be an extension of the Juvenile Division, which would include the School Resource Officer, the School Liaison Officer and the current Juvenile Officer. The Juvenile Division would be under the direction of the Investigative Case Coordinator. The function of the position would be: 1) Handle the investigation of all child abuse, neglect, and fatal abuse cases. 2) Handle the investigation of all intra-family physical assaults and address the needs and safety of the victims. 3) Investigate all intra-familial criminal sexual conduct cases. 4 Investigate all vulnerable adult abuse cases when family members are suspects. 5� Investigate all deprivation of parental rights cases. 6) Investigate all violations of Orders for Protection or No Contact Orders 7) Follow up on and track all registered sex offenders and increase consistent enforcement of registration violations. 8) Maintain a database of repeat offenders of Orders for Protection and No Contact Orders. 9) Track repeat offenders violating an existing Order for Protection/No Contact Order. 10) Investigate child pornography cases. 11) Educate schools, businesses and the community to raise awareness of child abuse, domestic abuse and sexual abuse. 12) Assist the city attorney with the successful prosecution of domestic assault cases by collecting evidence, interviewing children, witnesses and checking prior incidents with probation.