Sparks takes aim at domestic violence

SPARKS, Nev. (KOLO) -Domestic violence happens everywhere all too often, but it happens here in Nevada more often than just about anywhere else.

Emotionally charged incidents, leaving obviously damaged victims. And yet the path to justice can be difficult and filled with obstacles. But a new approach may be emerging in the city of Sparks.

City Attorney Wes Duncan is calling it the ‘End the Silence of Domestic Violence Initiative.”'

He’s not the first prosecutor to promise a victim-oriented approach to the problem, but his also includes more training for his staff and Sparks Police officers, especially members of the Domestic Abuse Response Team, or DART.

He hopes to have at least one member of that team available 24-7 to respond to domestic violence calls. “To help prosecutors in our office work up these cases to make sure that we can stand up for victims and get cases that are good prosecution cases where we can get convictions,” Duncan told KOLO.

But the biggest change is to the law itself, and it tackles a common problem.

“Abusers, after they’re charged, will try to reach out to the victim, try to get them not to come to court, or change their testimony,” says Duncan. “We see this over and over on a jail call, reaching out through a family member or it’s a letter or when they are released on bail speaking directly to the victim.”

Under an ordinance passed by the city council two weeks ago, such tampering with the victim is now itself a crime.

Duncan believes the approach hasn’t been tried anywhere else in Nevada but hopes it becomes a model for other jurisdictions.

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