Domestic Violence Team Is Honored

Howard County Police Detective Molly Gale sees the ugly outcome of domestic violence regularly, but she remembers one case in particular.

The victim was a woman who had immigrated to the United States with her child to join her new husband. But after he sexually assaulted and beat her, the woman, a nurse, felt terrified and helpless.

Working out of the police department's 17-month-old domestic violence section, Gale took the woman under her wing, making sure she received counseling and services while Gale helped gather evidence to file criminal assault charges against the husband.

It took time and effort, Gale said, "to turn her from being a victim to being a survivor."

That's the mission of the department's domestic violence section, created at the urging of Police Chief William McMahon and launched in January 2007 with a two-year, $400,000 federal grant. The small section's quickly growing caseload convinced County Executive Ken Ulman (D) to seek money for another detective in the upcoming budget year.

And the diligence shown by Gale, Sgt. Steven Martin, civilian administrator Katherine Turner and division commander Lt. Roland Denton has prompted the county's Association of Community Services to honor them with a humanitarian award as Howard's employee team of the year.

"Domestic violence for so long has been such a private matter," said Jodi Finkelstein, executive director of the Domestic Violence Center, a nonprofit service and advocacy agency that works with victims and their families. "This improves the way law enforcement responds to domestic violence victims."

Finkelstein nominated the police unit for the Audrey Robbins Humanitarian Award, given annually by the association of human service organizations for 33 years.

Others to be recognized by ACS on Wednesday include Sandy Jaworski, who has created a clothing ministry, the volunteer team serving Gilchrist Hospice and ACS Education and Training Coordinator Judy Pittman.

McMahon said he wanted his department to focus more on investigation and follow-up when patrol officers answered domestic disturbance calls.

"There's a certain repetitive nature with domestic violence," said McMahon, who serves on the board of directors of the Domestic Violence Center. "Domestic violence can escalate into homicide."

Gale and Martin have organized dozens of training sessions for officers, even showing up at 2 and 4 a.m. for overnight shifts, to talk about investigative techniques in responding to domestic assaults and enforcing protective orders. Arrests resulting from domestic violence went up from 142 in 2006 to 204 in 2007, Gale said. To encourage people who might be reluctant to seek police assistance, there has been a focus on reaching out to the county's Asian and Latino communities.