Editorial: Shift focus to solutions

Saturday, Nov. 27, 2004 | 12:39 p.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

November 27 - 28, 2004

A centuries-old problem, domestic violence, began getting the attention it deserved in this country only about 25 years ago. Women's groups in particular began working with prosecutors, police and social agencies. Their goal was to reverse the relatively low-profile, low-priority nature of the violence that often springs from personal relationships. Much has been accomplished, but as can be learned from today's Las Vegas Sun cover story by reporter Steve Kanigher, laws, court procedures and social programs to help victims are barely adequate in the Las Vegas Valley. They may become wholly inadequate in a few years, as incidents of domestic violence are surging.

In 2003 Metro Police responded to 19,608 domestic-related calls, an 8 percent increase from 2002. The number of calls is stretching Metro's domestic violence unit -- 12 detectives and three civilian advocates -- well past its recognized limit. The detectives are each handing 160 to 230 cases a month, when 100 cases a month is more the standard. There is hope for solving this problem, as Southern Nevada voters narrowly approved paying increased sales taxes for more police officers. The Legislature and the County Commission must also approve and after that officers would need to be recruited and trained, but at least there is hope on the horizon.

Other problems, however, require more than just an influx of staff. They require new thinking and new commitments. The Sun's stories today outline problems with the way protective orders are served and enforced, and the leniency with which courts often treat batterers. Also outlined is the weakness of a state law that allows batterers to pay money to their victims or apologize instead of facing hard time for their crimes. And there is the absence of a state law, carried by many states, in which batterers can be prosecuted based on evidence alone, even if the victims do not file charges. Additionally, there are social shortcomings that continue to make life miserable for the victims, such as a lack of affordable housing and a shortage of case managers that makes collecting child-support payments an agonizingly long process.

It's time to recapture the energy of the 1980s, which brought domestic violence into the public eye. Now it's time to focus on more effective legal and social responses. Victims, which include thousands of children, desperately need this attention.