Members of the response team for domestic violence are (from left) Darrell Sadler, undersheriff for the Mackinac County Sheriff, Kayla Nixon, assistant prosecutor for Mackinac County, Erica Rhome, victim advocacy specialist for Diane Peppler Resource Center, and Fred Strich, state trooper for the St. Ignace Michigan State Police Post. The team will collaborate to respond to cases of domestic violence in Mackinac County. Domestic violence incidents in Mackinac County used to be handled separately by victim advocates, prosecuting attorneys, and police departments. Now, a community coordinated response team has been formed that will allow these agencies to work together on a routine basis.

The team, which is comprised of department heads from various agencies in Mackinac County, will ensure that reports of domestic violence are always responded to appropriately, said State Trooper Fred Strich, who is pioneering the effort.

“In a sense, we're formalizing the programs that are already in place to make them more efficient and reliable,” said Mr. Strich, who added he hopes the team will be fully underway by June 1. “Before, there were instances where domestic violence cases would fall through the cracks.

This new program will pave over all of the cracks in the system.”

In addition to Mr. Strich, the team's core members include Kayla Nixon, assistant prosecutor for Mackinac County, Darrell Sadler, Mackinac County undersheriff, and Erica Rhome, victim advocacy specialist for Diane Peppler Resource Center.

The group attended a domestic violence instructor training program offered by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Canton, Ohio, in late February, where they received comprehensive training about the dynamics of domestic violence, which certified them to become adjunct instructors with the ability to launch a training program.

“The training helped us see what law enforcement does to address domestic violence cases, and it also helped them understand what victim advocacy programs can do,” said Ms. Rhome, whose agency provides a full spectrum of services for victims of domestic violence.

Domestic violence, a term that encompasses mental, verbal, and physical abuse, is a complex issue that is primarily about power and control, Ms. Rhome said.

“Domestic violence is a significant problem in our county, and people don't realize how often it occurs,” Ms. Nixon said.

The 40-hour training program was hinged on understanding why some victims perceive domestic violence as normal, as well as their barriers to leaving abusive situations.

The team plans to use what they learned about domestic violence to develop short training programs, which will be specifically geared toward various agencies in Mackinac County. Police officers, for instance, will learn about the techniques used to identity physical abuse and strangulation.

“We will provide instruction for all of the department heads in Mackinac County that are affiliated with domestic violence cases,” said Mr. Strich. “We're all in this to educate first; if you educate, then you can become more efficient.”

The team will meet every Monday morning to review all of the domestic violence police calls during the weekend, Mr. Strich said, and will also meet as needed for emergency situations that require immediate attention.

“With this team's coordinated response abilities, hopefully my office will see consistent reporting techniques so that we have the most complete set of facts available for each case,” said Ms. Nixon. “Before, there wasn't this level of coordination between departments. Each department does things similarly, but they're not the same.”

Mr. Strich's interest in starting a program in Mackinac County was originally spurred at a pilot project on domestic violence at the Houghton Lake Michigan State Police Post about six years ago. After finding out “there wasn't a consistent response regarding how to respond to a domestic violence incident,” he decided to take action after learning about the training program in Ohio from Diane Peppler Resource Center.

Eventually, Mr. Strich hopes the team will serve as a model program for other counties in the U.P. to follow.

“We're hoping to be used as a guide for each respective county in the U.P. to form their own coordination groups,” he said.

Above all, the goal of the team is to reduce the number of victims, Ms. Nixon said.

“People who are empowered with information are less likely to be victims of domestic violence,” she said. “Even though the emphasis is on law enforcement and prosecution, educating victims about what domestic violence is will play a major role.”