COUNSELORS JOIN RESPONSE TO VIOLENCE; ABUSE VICTIMS GET ADDED HELP.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

In the only program of its kind in Los Angeles County, deputies team up with counselors to respond to calls of domestic violence to provide extra support for the victim.

The year-old program has made an impact, strengthening prosecution cases and becoming a model program that other law enforcement agencies want to emulate, officials said.

``We are looking to impact the recidivist nature of the crime. We're finding if the victim is supported from the very time of the incident through the court process, they are much less likely to back down and what we call go backward, or recant,'' said Jeri Darr, program manager of the Antelope Valley Domestic Violence Council. ``Our goal is to help the woman escape abuse, put the criminals in jail and help the victims recover.''

Darr heads the Mobile Advocacy Treatment Team, whose members pair up with one of two deputies specifically assigned to investigate domestic violence incidents as part of the Sheriff's Department Safety Through Our Perseverance program.

STOP was formed to better meet the victim's needs, said Deputy Mark Richardson, who with partner Deputy Stefanie Fredericks are the two family violence investigators in the Antelope Valley.

There are three STOP teams, the other two in Carson and the City of Industry, but the Antelope Valley unit is the only one that is paired up with one of the four trained, and paid, domestic violence counselors, or advocates.

``This station is the only team that has a MATT team that goes out with us every night. We conduct the criminal investigation, and the MATT team deals with the victim's needs. It really does complete the whole circle,'' Richardson said. ``There is no wall the victim can put up that we can't knock down. Now we can go to the victim and help the victim with resources, deal with their needs right at the time of the call. Every time the victim has a problem, we are able to knock it down because either we or the MATT team can resolve it.''

Deputy District Attorney Allie Scolnik, supervisor of the domestic violence unit, said the STOP and MATT programs have helped in prosecuting cases.

``It's really an excellent program. It's beneficial for the victim and that in turn helps us prosecute our cases,'' Scolnik said. ``Our goal is to protect victims and children of domestic violence. The MATT program supplements the sheriff's, and it assists in helping the victim, giving them a crutch and somebody to talk to about what happened and what's going to happen as far as educating them on the criminal process. A lot of times the family doesn't want to get involved, and it's hard on the victim.''

The MATT program was Darr's idea. She thought it up for a graduate school project as part of her studies for a master's degree in public health. The program received $250,000 in grant funding from the California Endowment, a private philanthropy, and $158,000 from the state Office of Criminal Justice Planning, Darr said.

The money pays for the salaries of Darr and the four advocates, and for a clinic that advises victim on preparing temporary restraining orders.

Advocates undergo 40 hours of training over a three-week period, Darr said. The training covers an overview of the dynamics of domestic violence, the societal impact of the problem, the law enforcement and criminal justice response, and myths and realities of the offense.

The MATT program also has three volunteers, who accompany victims to court.

After deputies get to a domestic violence incident, they call in the STOP-MATT team. The MATT advocate interviews the victim and can help with transportation to the hospital or shelter, give referrals to other services, and obtain temporary emergency protection orders issued by law enforcement.

Over the next day or two, the MATT counselor contacts the victim to set up appointments to offer counseling, discuss getting temporary restraining orders, and explain the court process, Darr said.

``The project has done wonders about empowering and teaching them about their rights,'' Darr said.

Darr and Deputy Bernice Abram, who developed the STOP program, have been invited to do presentations and offer training at conferences held by the Sheriff's Department.

The two also have been invited to speak at a conference of New York state troopers in April on developing response teams like MATT's and STOP's through a community-based policing philosophy.

``This is the ultimate example of community-based policing, reaching out to community resources and partnering with them to solve crime problems,'' Darr said.