NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — When looking at domestic violence cases over the last decade, Metro Nashville has made great strides in helping victims.

However, a new report highlights areas of concern, including 911 response times and accessing criminal histories quickly.

In 2014, Metro Nashville's Office of Family Safety was created. Since then, Director Diane Lance and her team, including their therapy dog, Zizou, have created a model studied across the country.

“We have two family justice centers in our city, the Family Safety Center on Murfreesboro Pike, and also the Jane Crowe Advocacy Center. Our city has invested in a stand-alone department that focuses on victims of interpersonal violence,” Lance explained.

Recently, the department gained a specialized nurse practitioner dedicated to helping victims of strangulation.

With 30% of domestic violence homicides involving a suspect who wasn't supposed to have a gun, Metro police are now adding an officer meant to focus on that issue.

“Currently, we really rely on the honor system, and that's obviously not effective in making sure that our city is safer and that victims of domestic violence are in a safe place away from firearms that could harm them,” said Becky Bullard, Deputy Director of Programs at the Metro Nashville Office of Family Safety.

But the office's latest 10-year report shows areas to improve. One being domestic violence 911 call response times, which have increased from 11 minutes to nearly 18 minutes.

“When you are in the middle of a crisis and your offender is at the scene, and you're still under threat, every second really matters," Lance said. "And so that's something that we all — police, us, our whole system — obviously cares about and when someone is in danger. Those calls are prioritized for a faster response."

The report also calls for the creation of a policy where 911 dispatchers would tell police about any orders of protection during domestic violence calls.

In November 2021, Michaela Carter was killed by her ex-boyfriend, despite having an order of protection and police being at her home minutes before she was killed.

However, there are improvements to accessing criminal histories worth noting. Metro Nashville recently added funding for new assistants dedicated to helping night court commissioners. They’ll be able to look for someone's criminal history across the country before their bond is set.

“These commissioner assistants will be a really important tool on reporting the bond conditions, making sure the GPS monitors are done correctly, or is put on and in place and active, and that we know what someone's full criminal record is,” Lance said.

Anyone needing domestic violence help can contact the Office of Family Safety at 615-880-1100 or the YWCA 24-hour hotline at 1-800-334-4628.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/taking-a-look-at-domestic-violence-in-nashville-over-the-last-decade/