Prosecutor urges police to use caution responding to domestic violence incidents

Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner.

MAYS LANDING Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner is calling on all law enforcement officers to exercise extra caution when responding to calls for service for reports of domestic violence incidents under the current circumstances due to COVID-19.

Under normal circumstances calls of service for domestic violence incidents are among the most dangerous for our law enforcement officers, Tyner said. Due to the stress as a result of the current circumstances, I would urge all law enforcement to take extra caution when responding to these incidents.

Three police officers across the U.S. were shot and killed over the last month while responding to calls for incidents of domestic violence.

Nearly one in four women and one in seven men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Atlantic County assisted 1,021 domestic violence victims last year. There have been 311 so far in 2020, and since March 18, the ACPO Special Victims Unit has helped 109 domestic violence victims.

We are continuing to notify victims of their rights and provide crisis intervention and referrals during the coronavirus pandemic while working remotely to help protect ourselves as well. Additionally, as a result of Gov. Murphy's Executive Order 124, we are also informing victims of the release of inmates from the NJ Department of Corrections, ACPO Victim Witness Coordinator Raymond Royster said.

The ACPO Office of Victim Witness Advocacy offers the following services provided to victims of domestic violence:

• Crisis intervention, with referrals to counseling for themselves and their children to address the chronic trauma, control issues


• Social service referrals and advocacy. Clients need to know what agencies are available in the community to help them, and how they can access those services


• Criminal justice advocacy/explanation of the criminal and family court process. Includes explaining why the police have to arrest in certain domestic violence offenses, why the prosecutor's office pursues domestic violence cases, and discussing safety plans


• Court accompaniment to provide advocacy and emotional support


• Advising victims of their rights as a DV victim, including their right to request a restraining order and explaining how a restraining order may assist them


• Notifying victims of court dates, outcomes


• Information about the VINE system so victims can be notified when an offender's custody status changes


• Transportation to court to provide their Victim Impact Statement (if needed)


• Assistance with their Victim Impact statement, and request for restitution


• Facilitating HIV testing of offenders in certain sexual assault/DV cases


• Victims of Crime Compensation Office assistance, including advising the victim of the financial reimbursement and assistance/support they can receive from the VCCO-relocation assistance, loss of support, reimbursement for medical/counseling and other expenses; assistance with completing the VCCO application, advocacy on their behalf to the VCCO.