Willowbrook police officers will help investigate what went wrong in DuPage County domestic violence cases that ended in death or near-death.
DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin announced Oct. 27 the formation of a Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team within the 18th Judicial Circuit, Shaw Local reported. The Willowbrook Police Department is one of three local law enforcement agencies contributing officers to the new team, alongside the Wheaton and West Chicago police departments.
The countywide, multi-agency team will examine domestic violence-related deaths and near-fatalities, according to a news release from Berlin's office. As part of each review, the team will reconstruct the events, interventions and responses leading to a victim's or offender's death. It will look for missed warning signs, risk factors and gaps in intervention that may have reduced a victim's safety.
The team then plans to recommend statewide policies, practices and prevention improvements.
"With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are all reminded that domestic violence affects us all and is not confined to a behind-closed-doors cycle of violence, leaving victims to suffer in silence," Berlin said in the release.
The review team draws from across county government and the nonprofit sector. Volunteers from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Coroner's Office, Public Defender's Office and Probation Office will serve alongside the three police departments. Advocacy organizations on the team include Family Shelter Service of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage, the Center for Advancing Domestic Peace, the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services, Document the Abuse and the DuPage Family Center.
All members are volunteers.
Berlin credited Tessa Kuipers, project director of the statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review initiative, for guiding the DuPage effort forward. The announcement did not specify when the team will hold its first case review, how cases will be selected or whether findings will be made public. It also did not identify which Willowbrook officers will serve on the team, and no public comment from the Willowbrook Police Department appeared in the release.
