Arlington Police Upgrade Their Domestic Violence Prevention Skills

Image cred: Arlington Police Department

In the interest of better handling instances of domestic violence in Arlington, 47 police officers completed a three-day anti-domestic violence training program from Monday, March 16 through Wednesday, March 18, according to a statement from the department.

Topics covered included access to available services, types of abuse, high-risk assessment, impact of trauma on victims and children, and legislation passed in August 2014 dubbed, “An Act Relative to Domestic Violence.”

Interactive sessions, dialogues, lectures and video were overseen by the REACH Beyond Domestic Violence Service Agency, and the training was offered in conjunction with the Arlington Youth Counseling Center and the Arlington-based First Step Domestic Violence Program.

“We know domestic abuse has long lasting effects on victims and their family members, especially children,” AYCC Director Colleen Leger said in a press release. “The more we know and the more preventative measures we can implement, the more lives we can save. This is why equipping first responders like police officers with the knowledge they need to help combat domestic violence is so important.”