ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando police officers now have a way to get domestic violence victims help faster.
Harbor House’s hotline already takes in about 10,000 calls a year. A new program is expected to add at least 5,000 more.
For Orlando Police Chief John Mina, it’s the chance his officers have been waiting for.
Link: Harbor House Victim Hotline and Information
Police will be able to call a new, dedicated hotline when they see a domestic abuse situation on the scene. The hotline will put them in immediate touch with an advocate to talk them through the situation.
Domestic violence has quickly become one of central Florida’s most dangerous problems, boiling over in homes, businesses and public places without warning.
Two weeks ago, two sisters were killed in their beds. The husband of one of those women was charged in their murders.
A month earlier, an Orange County woman was allegedly killed by her estranged boyfriend in front of her children.
In both cases, there was a history of domestic violence and the women involved may have given the men in their murders a second chance.
“Of course, the officer gets frustrated, but they understand. They understand why a victim would do that. And having the hotline in place is going to prevent that,” Mina said.
That’s why Orlando Police Chief John Mina supports the new hotline, which will put his officers in direct contact with an advocate from Harbor House, while the officer is still on scene with a victim.
“Just to be able to dial a number and hand a victim a phone is incredible,” Mina said.
Typically it would take 24-48 hours for an advocate to reach out, and too often, someone else would get to them first.
“They’re getting a lot of influence from the suspect calling, sometimes from jail, the suspect’s attorney, the suspect’s family, trying to convince them to let the whole thing go and go back to the relationship,” said Carol Wick, CEO of Harbor House.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office will implement the new program by the end of the month. The goal is to eventually be in place in law enforcement agencies across central Florida.
The program was tested in Apopka, where 40 percent of violence victims were accepting help a year ago. Now, it’s 90 percent and advocates give the program much of the credit.
WFTV
