Yarmouth Police/CWN
YARMOUTH – From Yarmouth Police: On Monday, December 17, and Tuesday, December 18, 2018, the Yarmouth Police Department’s Special Victims Unit hosted two days of intensive training for Law Enforcement Officers and Civilian Advocates to learn about how trauma affects victims of violent crimes.
There was an overwhelming response from across the state and over the two days were able to train 170 Police Officers, Detectives, Civilian Police Advocates, Victim Witness Advocates, Prosecutors, SANE Nurses, Department of Children and Families Social Workers, and Domestic and Sexual Violence Counselors and Clinicians.
The two presenters included Justin Boardman, of Boardman Training & Consulting, a retired Detective from the West Valley Utah Police Department, and the Chief Domestic Violence Prosecutor from Barnstable County’s District Attorney’s Office, ADA Michael Patterson.
While Boardman focused a great deal on how trauma affects the body, brain, memories, and behaviors of a victim, Patterson shared great detail on evidence based prosecution and the importance of the Cape Cod Domestic Violence High Risk Task Force. By the end of each day it was clear to everyone in the room how important each member of the multi-disciplinary team truly is to not only combat crime, but also to assure each and every victim is being supported to the best of our abilities.
This training was made possible by the Violence Against Women Act STOP Grant, awarded to the Yarmouth Police Department in 2017. The VAWA STOP Grant has also allowed the department to hire a full time Victim Advocate to reach out and provide services to more than 500 victims over the past year within the Town of Yarmouth.
We are proud to announce that the grant has been renewed for 2019, so the Advocate can continue to help victims of domestic and sexual violence receive the support they need to heal.
The Yarmouth Police Department would like to, not only thank all of our attendees and especially our presenters, we’d like to acknowledge the kindness and generosity of the Hampton Inn and Suites in West Yarmouth, who provided excellent accommodations for Justin Boardman, and the Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors who provided a great space to hold the training. These organizations are truly committed to helping our community.
