Victims of domestic violence are feeling a bit more safe in Sangamon County, Ill., thanks to the personal alarms they now carry, courtesy of the county.
When a victim feels she is in danger, but is unable to get to the phone to call 911, she can activate her domestic violence alarm which beckons nearby police to her residence.
After the alarm is set off, a dispatcher at George Alarm, the local firm that produces the devices, retrieves information about the alarm holder from its database, such as her location, her most likely abuser, his description, information on any weapons he may carry, and whether there is a vicious dog on the premises.
Meanwhile, the dispatcher at the county sheriff’s department locates the closest squad car to the scene and transmits the same information to the car’s on-board computer.
For the first time, “the information has gone directly right into the squad car,” said Deputy Patrick L. Davlin, domestic violence alarm coordinator, with the sheriff’s office. This approach “increases accuracy, reduces time, and is less stressful for officers,” he explained. “Now they’re prepared to handle the problem.”
The participants, all women, must be in a “severely violent situation,” according to Davlin, and actively involved in the prosecution of the abuser.
“They feel much safer,” said Nancy McVey, victim witness director with the state attorney’s office. Since the alarms were distributed in late March, none have been activated, however, McVey expects this to change as summer approaches. “When the weather gets warmer, people start fighting more,” she said.
According to Mike George, of George Alarms, the price of this type of alarm can vary from $110 to $250. The county paid $1,600 for its first batch of alarms, however the company has elected to donate them in the future. Davlin advises other counties to solicit the help of a local alarm company, who, like George Alarm, may feel moved to supply them at no cost.
In exchange for its participation in this pilot program, the county paid nothing for the software provided by HTE, Inc. Such software is normally priced between $10,000 and $15,000.
The sheriff’s office plans to expand its use of the technology for fielding other types of emergencies, including burglaries and distress calls from participants in the witness protection plan.
(For more information about the program, contact: Deputy Patrick L. Davlin, domestic violence alarm coordinator, Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department, phone: 217/753-6388.)