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MARQUETTE COUNTY — Marquette County is the first Blueprint for Safety community in Michigan.
It’s an initiative that encourages agencies such as law enforcement, the prosecutor’s office and advocacy groups like the Women’s Center to work together better when responding to domestic violence situations.
One thing that will be different under the program is every officer in Marquette County will ask victims three questions on scene.
Heather Addison is a Blueprint for Safety advocate. She says, “Those questions are designed to illicit particularly historical information to find out if there’s more to the incident than just this brief moment in time. We found that that really helps us understand better what’s happening in the lives of that family and that victim’s life.”
Another change is officers will call the crisis line at the Harbor House as soon as possible so someone can make contact with the victim.
All eight law enforcement agencies in Marquette County are participating.
The program is possible thanks to federal grant money.
