Swampscott Police Dept. attends domestic violence training seminar

SWAMPSCOTT – Members of the Swampscott Police Department were the first in the county to attend comprehensive training in domestic violence offered recently by District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s Office.Police Chief Ronald Madigan, who attended the training, said it was very valuable.?There is always a need to be updated with regards to domestic violence,” he said. “This training allows us to enhance what we do.”Blodgett said last year the domestic violence homicide rate in Massachusetts was the highest in the history of the state.?We want to stop that,” he said. “Unfortunately domestic violence is murder waiting to happen.”Madigan said the police are the front line when it comes to domestic violence.?We are intervening at an early stage,” he said. “The police department in Swampscott is the primary social service agency in town ? we do it all at the early stages. Each cruiser will be equipped with a packet of forms the officer will go through to identify those who may need special attention and we will work with other agencies to get them the help that they need.”Madigan pointed out there have been two domestic homicides in town in the last 12 years and one of those was by strangulation.?One of the things we learned is if strangulation is involved, there is a higher potential of danger,” he said. “Now our officers are trained to ask the victim if the perpetrator put their hands on their neck or throat. It is one of the warning signs we look at to identify cases that have potential for serious bodily injury or death.”Blodgett agreed the lethality assessment was a very important part of the training.?Some of the particularly dangerous signs are signs of choking or injuries to their neck,” he said. “Statistics show choking victims are in danger of being murdered. We really focused hard on that.”Lt. Gary Lord said the training provided useful information and tools that officers could use in the field.?It was very positive,” he said. “A lot of information was provided and there are some new protocols the DA has implemented that will help us in investigating and filing proper charges in domestic violence situations. There is a new form that we will be using on domestic calls that will assist the police department in determining charges and assist other agencies down the line.”Blodgett said the training is available to every police department in Essex County through his office.?The law is evolving in regards to domestic violence,” he said. “There is tremendous pressure on the responding police officers. The police arrive and provide immediate assistance. They make sure parties are safe, conduct initial investigation and do follow up. We give them tools to follow the case through and assist prosecutors.”