The Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office and the Caddo Parish Commission have received a federal grant for almost $450,000 to combat domestic violence. The grant was awarded to the Caddo Parish Commission, and the District Attorney’s Office will serve as sub recipient.
“We look forward to the great outcomes that will be possible due to this grant,” said Caddo Parish Commission President Matthew Linn. “We are delighted to partner with the District Attorney’s Office to expand assistance to domestic violence victims in our Parish.”
That was amplified by Caddo Parish District Attorney James E. Stewart Sr.
“We continue to look for better ways to not only prosecute criminals but also to help those who have been victims of crime,” Stewart said. “This grant allows our office to give greater support to the victims of domestic violence and the other agencies that support them.”
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, making the receipt of the grant from the Office on Violence Against Women under the Improving Criminal Justice Responses Program especially appropriate.
“This grant will fund a cooperative endeavor between local law enforcement and nonprofits organization to more effectively and rapidly respond to the needs of adult and juvenile victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking in Caddo Parish,” said Caddo Parish Assistant District Attorney Penya M. Moses-Fields.
She is the chief of the new Special Victims Unit that has been set up by Stewart, who was elected one year ago next month.
The grant, for $449,754 over a three-year span, has allowed Stewart to hire a Victims Assistance Coordinator and Investigator who will provide around-the-clock assistance to the Special Victims Unit.
Within 24 hours of an arrest for a most-serious domestic violence-related offense, the Shreveport Police Department and Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office will notify the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office. This will allow the District Attorney Investigator to immediately coordinate efforts to obtain evidence to aid prosecution.
Within 48 hours of the arrest, the Victims Assistance Coordinator will contact the victim to assess their need for such essentials as food, clothing and shelter, and to connect the victim to the array of other services provided by Project Celebration, the Gingerbread House and the new Family Justice Center in Bossier City.
Project Celebration will provide direct services to adult and child victims, including medical and personal advocacy, criminal justice advocacy, safety planning, safe house, therapy and assistance in filing for aid. Gingerbread House will provide 24-hour services for forensic interviewing, as well as counseling for juvenile victims ages 2 to 16.
All of these support agencies are among grant partners with the Caddo DA and the Caddo Parish Commission.
“The collaborative efforts of these grant partners will help to break the cycle of abuse and violence by improving the quality and effectiveness of both the services offered to victims and also the prosecution of their offenders,” Moses-Fields said.
In 2015, Caddo Parish processed 125 charges for sexual assault (including dating violence) and rape, 568 charges for domestic violence related crimes, and 64 charges for stalking (including cyber-stalking). The total number of charges of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking in Caddo Parish in 2015 was 757.
Additionally, the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence found in 2013 that the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Report data on homicides committed against women in Louisiana ranked the state 9th in the nation for females murdered by males that year. Combined with FBI statistics, Louisiana has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the nation. Between 2006 and 2014, the Shreveport Police Department reported 18 domestic violence deaths with a firearm, and the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office reported three such deaths, for a total of 21 deaths.
The project was supported by Grant No. 2016-WE-AX-0018 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.