DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin announced Oct. 27 the formation of a Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team to examine domestic violence-related deaths across the county.
The team will operate within the 18th Judicial Circuit, first reported by Shaw Local's Suburban Life. It is a countywide, multi-agency group tasked with examining domestic violence-related deaths to reduce incidents, improve prevention efforts and promote outreach strategies, according to a news release from the state's attorney's office.
The team will reconstruct events, interventions and responses leading to a victim's or offender's death. It will also look for missed warning signs, risk factors or intervention opportunities, according to the release. Following each review, the team will recommend statewide policy, practice 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.
Members will include volunteers from the DuPage County state's attorney's, coroner's, public defender's and probation offices. Officers from the West Chicago, Wheaton and Willowbrook police departments will participate. Advocates from 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 round out the team.
Metropolitan Family Services DuPage, whose Family Shelter Service arm is on the review team, serves communities across the county including Woodridge, according to the organization's website.
Berlin also thanked Tessa Kuipers, project director of the statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review initiative, for guiding the project forward.
Residents experiencing domestic violence can contact Family Shelter Service of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage at 630-221-8290.
