The Baltimore Police Department is expanding its domestic violence investigations unit to the entire city.
The expansion of the specialized unit — which is designed to function much like the city’s famed homicide unit — comes after a trial run in Northeast Baltimore was determined a success, prosecutors and police said.
“They have been even better than we expected,” said Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney Julie Drake.
Drake said the unit was noticeably more thorough and effective in investigating domestic violence cases than patrol officers had been previously.
During a four-month segment this year, officers reported 2,436 home visits in misdemeanor domestic violence cases, compared with 858 home visits during the same time period last year.
“The quality of investigation in misdemeanor cases went up significantly,” Drake said. “Clearly, these detectives are working far more efficiently.”
Search and seizure warrants served and number of weapons seized have also increased, Drake said.
Dorothy Lenning, of the House of Ruth, said law enforcement officials still need more training about recognizing the dangers of nonfatal strangulations.
Cases in which abusers try to strangle their victims are five times more likely to escalate into lethal attacks later than cases in which no strangulation occurs, Lenning said.
Drake said it’s also important for officials to keep a close eye on abusers who refuse to go to their treatment classes. She told the story of an unidentified abuser whose violation of probation hearing was continually postponed.
“In the interim, he murdered the victim,” Drake said. “When a batterer refuses to follow through with the gift that he has been given when he’s placed on probation … this may well be a red flag that there will be significant problems down the road.”
She recommended closer tracking of domestic violence cases that include violations of probation.
