CCR Panel Addresses Hypothetical Case

Door County’s Coordinated Community Response (CCR) team is a multidisciplinary group of professionals and citizens who are committed to communicating with each other and coordinating a response to domestic violence and sexual assault that offers victims safety and holds offenders accountable for their behavior.  

CCR members met Feb. 27 to learn from those at the front lines how three entities interact with people dealing with issues of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Law enforcement, the District Attorney’s office and one of Door County’s two judges were on hand to walk through a hypothetical case that included many of the dynamics often involved in domestic violence, some at the point of an incident and others in its aftermath.

The panel of experts was comprised of Jason Albertson from the Sturgeon Bay Police Department, Door County Sheriff Steve Delarwelle and Lieutenant Bob Lauder, District Attorney Colleen Nordin and Branch 2 Judge David Weber.  

Milly Gonzales, coordinator of DV services at HELP of Door County, explained how the idea for the panel came about.

“CCR is undergoing a renaissance of renewed interest from partner organizations and one of the goals the group identified for 2018 was the ability to better understand how each of our organizations works with people who have experienced the trauma of domestic violence and sexual assault. Each of the organizations represented on our panel for February was very generous with their time and experience so that we were able to put together a hypothetical case that dealt with a DV situation from the time the police are called, through investigation and charging all the way to the courtroom,” said Gonzales.

Safety, safety, safety. CCR team members and their organizations are all about safety – all want victims to be safe, neighborhoods to be safe, classrooms and workplaces to be safe. Promoting community awareness of the existence of domestic violence and sexual assault starts conversations that everyone can join.

“We know through hard work people heal and that through education each of us is able to serve people better,” Gonzales continued. “We know that the better we understand how our partners interact with the people we all serve, the better we can all do our jobs.”

CCR meets quarterly in the Jury Room on the second floor of the Door County Justice Center in Sturgeon Bay from noon to 1 pm. Upcoming meeting dates and topics:  May 15, Sexual Assault 101 presented by Jamie Craig of the Sexual Assault Center; Aug. 21, Hypothetical Case #2, panel from local schools and the Door County Department of Human Services; and Nov. 20, Domestic Violence 101, presented by Milly Gonzales and Anni Lampert of HELP of Door County.

To join this dynamic group of committed professionals, email [email protected] to be included in future emails.

Anni Lampert is an advocate for HELP of Door County and Coordinated Community Response coordinator.