I'm Not In An Abusive Relationship

Get to know Elizabeth Alderson, Licensed Master Social Worker and resident therapist at Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services. Liz talks with Claudia Pahls about her journey with DASAS.

You're getting to know the people behind DASAS with our Spotlight Series of interviews, interspersed throughout our podcast journey.

If you need resources or help in any way, call our 24 hour hotline at 800-828-2023 or visit www.DASASMI.org.

Subscribe for a new episode each week. We publish every Wednesday morning at 8:00am. Subscribe to the weekly email newsletter here or at our website here.

Please consider helping us reach more listeners by leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts or where you listen, and by sharing on social media.

On this episode, "roving reporter" Dan Moyle takes the podcast on the road with the annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event. From interviews asking "Who do walk for?" to the sounds of the day, join us as we explore the 2019 Walk a Mile event together.

A one-mile march, dog walk, kids games & activities, raffles, prizes, hog roast, bounce houses, to help combat abuse in our community. Come join the fun for a great cause!

Each year, an ever-increasing number of men, women and their families are joining the award-winning Walk a Mile in Her Shoes®: The International Men's March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence. A Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® Event is a playful opportunity for men to raise awareness in their community about the serious causes, effects and remediations to men's sexualized violence against women.

Southwest Michigan's event is held annually in Three Rivers on the second Saturday in August. Join us at 9:00 for registration, the 10:00 walk, fun activities and a hog roast for lunch. It all takes place at LaFayette Park.

If you need resources or help in any way, call our 24 hour hotline at 800-828-2023 or visit www.DASASMI.org.

Subscribe for a new episode each week. We publish every Wednesday morning at 8:00am. Subscribe to the weekly email newsletter here or at our website here.

Please consider helping us reach more listeners by leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts or where you listen, and by sharing on social media.

Ned Haylett, President of the Board of Directors at Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services, talks with Claudia Pahls about his journey with DASAS.

You're getting to know the people behind DASAS with our Spotlight Series of interviews, interspersed throughout our podcast.

If you need resources or help in any way, call our 24 hour hotline at 800-828-2023 or visit www.DASASMI.org.

Subscribe for a new episode each week. We publish every Wednesday morning at 8:00am. Subscribe to the weekly email newsletter here or at our website here.

Please consider helping us reach more listeners by leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts or where you listen, and by sharing on social media.

David Flowers is a former attorney who spent his career representing victims of sexual abuse in civil litigation. David wrote Taming the Lion Tamers about the South Carolina case of convicted pedophile Eddie Fischer, and the people who protected him for decades. It’s a powerful story, and is the same case on which the Emmy-nominated documentary film What Haunts Us is based.

David fought for victims for decades, using story to their advantage. Now he works to hold people in power who protect perpetrators responsible for their part in these stories.

Eddie Fischer was a teacher at Porter-Gaud, an elite private school in Charleston, South Carolina, for ten years. He was also a serial pedophile. Shortly after he was hired, administrators at the school learned about his sexual interest in young boys but did nothing to stop him. Fischer molested dozens of boys at the school. When they were finally confronted by the parents of a victim, the administrators allowed Fischer to resign quietly and then recommended him for employment at other schools in Charleston where he went on to molest more students for another fifteen years before he was finally arrested. This is the true story of how Fischer was finally stopped and the determined efforts by some of Fischer’s victims to expose the truth about Porter-Gaud’s role in enabling, supporting, and advancing Fischer’s criminal career which spanned four decades. Utilizing court transcripts and first-hand accounts, David shares the innovative and unconventional strategies, coupled with the remarkable courage of the victims, which exposed and defeated the arrogance of the school and its grossly negligent administrators.

David's book, Taming the Lion Tamers

If you need resources or help in any way, call our 24 hour hotline at 800-828-2023 or visit www.DASASMI.org.

Subscribe for a new episode each week. We publish every Wednesday morning at 8:00am. Subscribe to the weekly email newsletter here or at our website here.

Please consider helping us reach more listeners by leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts or where you listen, and by sharing on social media.

A one-mile march, dog walk, kids games & activities, raffles, prizes, hog roast, bounce houses, to help combat abuse in our community. Come join the fun for a great cause!

Each year, an ever-increasing number of men, women and their families are joining the award-winning Walk a Mile in Her Shoes®: The International Men's March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence. A Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® Event is a playful opportunity for men to raise awareness in their community about the serious causes, effects and remediations to men's sexualized violence against women.

Southwest Michigan's event is held annually in Three Rivers on the second Saturday in August. Join us at 9:00 for registration, the 10:00 walk, fun activities and a hog roast for lunch. It all takes place at LaFayette Park.

Register for the Three Rivers Walk a Mile event here.

National Walk a Mile in Her Shoes website

If you need resources or help in any way, call our 24 hour hotline at 800-828-2023 or visit www.DASASMI.org.

Subscribe for a new episode each week. We publish every Wednesday morning at 8:00am. Subscribe to the weekly email newsletter here or at our website here.

Please consider helping us reach more listeners by leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts or where you listen, and by sharing on social media.

Police Chief Steve Grinnewald of Dowagiac, Michigan joins guest host Deborah Hackworth to discuss law enforcement's response to domestic violence.

Steve is also a board member of Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services.

Domestic violence is the single largest category of police calls in many cities. When police officers respond, they know the situation can be volatile for both them and the abuser’s victim. That’s because the killer in almost one third of female homicides is an intimate partner, and 22 percent of officer "line of duty" deaths in recent years occurred while responding to domestic violence calls.

There's a connection between offenders who murder police officers and a record of domestic violence. They’re about power and control, and law enforcement officers represent the authority to take away their freedoms.

What Police Are Trained to Do

While policies differ from city to city, it can be helpful for survivors to understand the common threads for how police are trained to respond. The first concept is to treat domestic violence calls as a high priority or a life-threatening situation. Because of this perspective, and importantly for survivors to know, many departments will continue to respond even if the victim cancels the request.

Next is to approach carefully, meaning officers are trained to apply discretion when using emergency lights and sirens and to observe and listen before announcing their presence. This can improve everyone’s safety and also expose important evidence, such as an active confrontation.

Sending two officers is a best practice as well. On occasion, balancing the need to urgently respond and having two officers arriving on scene simultaneously can be a challenge, especially in areas where units are positioned far apart. Dispatching two officers can make quickly juggling a multitude of tasks more manageable, such as checking arrest warrants and prior history, and identifying and separating the victim and perpetrator.

Once on scene, keeping the abuser and victim out of sight and hearing of each other can increase the odds of each person speaking candidly without the influence of the other. It also helps officers determine if firearms are on the premises and to remove them; 79 percent of cases in a study of 358 police law enforcement agencies by the Police Executive Research Forum involved finding and confiscating firearms.

Collecting evidence is another priority. Many agencies require officers to take pictures of the victim’s injuries and the crime scene; interview and obtain written, audio or video statements from the parties, neighbors or witnesses; and create detailed occurrence reports whether or not an arrest is made. Nearly 9 in 10 agencies record incidents by location and 7 in 10 record them by individual to help officers of future investigations understand the history, according to the same study.

Conducting a risk assessment to determine the level of danger for the victim, and whether a safety plan should be encouraged, is required by 42 percent of agencies. Of course, if you’re experiencing violence, a safety plan is always something to consider developing, regardless. Some agencies train officers to provide victims with community resources and the protocol for some includes making follow up visits.

How a Survivor Can Help

The information that officers receive before they arrive on the scene helps them to be prepared. If it’s safe for you to do so, tell the dispatcher if the abuser has:

Not all the guidelines apply universally, but it’s helpful to know generally what to expect from a call for help to the police, and what to expect from the police.

If you need resources or help in any way, call our 24 hour hotline at 800-828-2023 or visit www.DASASMI.org.

Resource: https://www.domesticshelters.org/articles/legal/how-police-are-trained-to-respond-to-domestic-violence

Producer and guest host Dan Moyle is joined by Dowagiac Police Chief (and DASAS Board Member) Steve Grinnewald and volunteer Damion Hackworth to explore men's roles in the fight against domestic and sexual abuse.

Damion is married to Director of Advocacy Services and regular contributor to I'm Not In An Abusive Relationship Deborah Hackworth. He volunteers often, doing whatever it takes to help forward the mission of Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services.

Steve serves on the DASAS Board, volunteers, and has helped bring awareness to his police department.

Dan serves on the DASAS Board, helps produce the podcast, and works on promotion and brand awareness/marketing for DASAS.

From what they get out of volunteering, to helping change the stigma that "men are the problem" into the idea that men are a solution, these guys offer insight into why they're involved in the DASAS movement.

If you need resources or help in any way, call our 24 hour hotline at 800-828-2023 or visit DASAS dot org.

Rose Ludwick and Deborah Hackworth guest- host this episode, with guest Regina Ditmer, a Personal Protection Order Advocate in St. Joseph County.

What is a PPO?

A Personal Protection Order (PPO) is a court order to stop threats or violence against you.  A PPO can help protect you from someone who is threatening, hurting or harassing you. You can get a PPO if you have a reasonable fear for your personal liberty or safety.

There are three types of PPOs:

•Domestic Relationship PPO

•Non-Domestic (Stalking) PPO

•Non-Domestic (Sexual Assault) PPO

To apply for a PPO, you must file a petition with the court. You can utilize the resources of DASAS, and one of our advocates can assist you in completing the appropriate petition.

The petition is used to give the court important information it needs to decide whether to give you the order you want. As best you can, tell the court what the abuser has done to you and how you have been harmed. Try to remember the dates or times of year the events happened. You don't have to have police reports or other evidence to get a PPO, but if you do have them you should attach them to your petition. They can help the court understand what has happened to you.

You might be afraid the abuser will harm you if you don't get a PPO right away. You might be afraid the abuser will harm you if he or she finds out you are asking for a PPO. If so, you can ask for an emergency order. This emergency order is called an ex parte order. If you get an ex parte order, you won't have to wait for a hearing to get your order. With an ex parte order, the abuser won't know you're asking for a PPO until after you get your order.

If the judge requires a hearing before signing your order, it will be held within 21 days of the day you file your petition. If you don’t think you need an emergency order, or if a hearing is required, you must have a copy of the petition and a notice of hearing delivered to the abuser. The abuser will have the opportunity to attend the hearing and respond to the information in your petition. In this situation, the abuser will know you are asking for a PPO before you are protected by an order.

You might be tempted for many reasons to let the abuser do things which violate your PPO. Maybe you feel safe now that you have the order. Maybe the abuser promises things will be different. The abuser may ask to come to your house to pick up the children, but your PPO bans the abuser from coming to your house. Whatever the reason, you should not agree to behavior that violates your PPO. The abuser can be arrested for behavior that violates your PPO even if you agreed to it. If you want to change your order before it expires, you must go back to court and ask the judge to modify or terminate it.  The Women’s Resource Center can assist you with this process.

If the abuser violates your PPO, you can call the police and report the violation. You can get support and information about enforcing your order by calling the Women’s Resource Center. You can also file a Motion to Show Cause asking the court to hold the abuser accountable for violating your order. For more detailed information about how to enforce your PPO contact the Women’s Resource Center.

Resource: http://www.womensresourcecenter.org/personal-protection-orders

Visit https://www.dasasmi.org/ for resources or call our 24-hour hotline at 800-828-2023.

Executive Director of Domestic And Sexual Abuse Services Rose Ludwick shares the story of DASAS, along with the services we offer.

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The Domestic Assault Shelter Coalition (DASC) (it won't become DASAS until 2007) was founded in August of 1984 as a grassroots effort by a group of concerned citizens which included the Three Rivers Chapter of NOW, human service providers, and law enforcement representatives. The purpose was to respond to the needs of domestic violence survivors and their children.

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In 1985, the totally volunteer organization staffed a crisis hotline. In May, 1986, the donated use of a large house owned by the First Presbyterian Church of Three Rivers and Centreville made it possible for DASC to open an emergency shelter for domestic violence survivors and their children. To this day the church continues to "rent" the Shelter building to DASAS for $1 per year.

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In 1989, DASC expanded its non-residential services to include offering support groups and providing crisis intervention in outlying communities in St. Joseph and Cass Counties. DASC made major renovations on the Shelter facility, including making the first floor accessible.

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In 1993, DASC initiated a Task Force on Family Violence in Cass County. In 1995, this task force began the Volunteer Outreach Project (VOCA funded) to recruit and train volunteers to provide immediate outreach to survivors.

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In 1995, DASC hired advocates to assist survivors with obtaining Personal Protection Orders in both counties' Courthouses. DASC brought together a coalition of criminal justice, health care, human service, and school representatives in St. Joseph County in 1995 to improve systems' response to domestic violence survivors. Within a year, DASC started a volunteer outreach project in St. Joseph County.

DASC finally realized a long-term goal of prevention education in 1995 when we developed a dating and sexual assault prevention program for middle and high school students (Healthy Relationships).

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In 1996, DASC agreed to add Van Buren County to our service area (through our MDVPTB contract) and subcontracted with the newly-formed Domestic Violence Coalition, Inc. to provide non-residential domestic violence services in Van Buren County; survivors continued to use the DASC shelter for residential services.​

In 2007, we changed our name to reflect the addition of sexual assault service. DASC became Domestic And Sexual Abuse Services (DASAS).

Here are the services available through DASAS:

RESIDENTIAL SERVICES FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT

Visit https://www.dasasmi.org/ for resources or call our 24-hour hotline at 800-828-2023.