PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The day after a victim suffers domestic violence can be the most frightening and disjointing moment of their lives, according to Casey Faulkingham, prevention and training coordinator with the Hope and Justice Project in Presque Isle.
Under a fairly new program — the Enhanced Police Intervention Collaboration, or EPIC — two criminal justice advocates from the Hope and Justice Project have been working with the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office in Houlton and the Presque Isle Police Department in Presque Isle to better assist victims of domestic violence. All services to victims are free and confidential.
The program, which started last January with a two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, has thus far assisted 56 victims in The County, Faulkingham said Friday.
When the police in the program get a domestic violence call, whether or not there is an arrest, the information is shared with the Hope and Justice Project, Faulkingham said. Within 48 hours, a criminal justice advocate calls and offers to meet with the victim or victims somewhere safe. She said that very few of those contacted have turned down the services offered under the grant.
“By safe I mean if the partner is not in jail, we do not want to go to the residence,” she said. “We will meet somewhere else. The police have to ask very specific questions, and that is often intimidating for the victims. We want to help make them comfortable. We don’t work for police, [but] we don’t want to interfere in the process [either].”
Police still go with the advocate for that meeting.
“The beauty of the EPIC program is that we are able to reach victims in a timely manner, to provide advocacy and talk about the services that Hope and Justice Project provide,” said Karan Wotton of Houlton, one of the criminal justice advocates. “During this time law enforcement is given an opportunity to introduce the advocate so we can engage with the victim in a way that may ‘bridge the gap’ and connect the victim with appropriate services, as well as check in with the victim to assure that their needs are being met.”
The Hope and Justice Project helps people affected by abuse and violence, whether it is in their family or in dating relationships, according to its website. They also educate members of the community so they can recognize the signs of domestic violence, and help repair the harm done by it. Their central office is in Presque Isle, but there are branch offices in Houlton, Fort Kent and Madawaska. The organization also has a 24-hour-toll-free hotline victims of abuse can call, or those concerned about a friend or family member.
With calls and arrests for domestic violence cases reported up in some parts of Aroostook County over the past year, according to local police chiefs and the county sheriff, the EPIC program is helpful and needed.
Of four Aroostook County police agencies polled, three report similar or increased cases of domestic violence in 2015 over the previous year.
Houlton police saw their numbers nearly triple, from 11 arrests in 2014 to 31 in 2015. Aroostook County Sheriff Darrell Crandall said domestic violence calls recorded by his department rose from 48 calls in 2014 to 57 in 2015. The Caribou Police Department reported numbers had remained roughly the same, while the Presque Police Department indicated a slight decrease in arrests.
Presque Isle Police Chief Matt Irwin said that EPIC has been “a good program for everybody. The Hope and Justice Project tries to get the victim to a shelter, or they try to get a protection order against the abuser. The more services like this on board in a domestic violence case, the better.”
Irwin also credited Sheriff Detective Pete Johnson, the only full-time domestic violence investigator in Aroostook County, with assisting other police departments with domestic violence investigations.
Wotton said the advocates follow a very structured protocol when working with victims.
“We safety plan with individuals to talk to them about the services provided by Hope and Justice Project,” she explained. “We work with law enforcement agencies that we have an information sharing agreement with. We are open to working with all law enforcement agencies in Aroostook County. We have had interest from other law enforcement agencies that have heard of this service, and we look forward to them coming on board with us and taking advantage of this free service as well.”
If a victim does not want to press charges, the advocates simply leave information about the Hope and Justice Project and other resources, said Faulkingham
Faulkingham said that the Hope and Justice Project can help a victim right through the court or civil process, if they so desire.
“We’ll be there as long as they need us,” she said.
The Hope and Justice 24-hour-toll-free hotline victims of abuse can call, or those concerned about a friend or family member, is 1-800-439-2323.