State's Attorney Robert Berlin announced a multi-agency team to investigate domestic violence deaths across DuPage County.
The Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, announced Oct. 27 in a county news release, will examine cases where a victim or offender died.
The team will reconstruct the events leading up to each death, look for warning signs or risk factors that went unnoticed and identify missed chances to intervene. It will then recommend changes to statewide policies, practices and prevention efforts, according to the release.
"The creation of this Review Team is a critical step in creating safer communities and protecting survivors of domestic violence," Berlin said in the release.
Who is on the team
The team draws from law enforcement, county government and the nonprofit sector. Volunteer members come from the DuPage County State's Attorney's, Coroner's, Public Defender's and Probation offices. Officers from the West Chicago, Wheaton and Willowbrook police departments are participating.
Advocates from five organizations round out the roster: Family Shelter Service of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage, the Center for Advancing Domestic Peace, the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services, Document the Abuse and the DuPage Family Center. NCTV17 also covered the announcement.
Statewide initiative shaped the effort
Berlin credited Tessa Kuipers, project director of the statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review initiative, for guiding the project.
That initiative is housed at the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and is recruiting groups across Illinois to form regional teams, according to the state's regional DVFR teams page.
Under state guidelines, regional teams must be organized by circuit court boundaries. DuPage County's team falls within the 18th Judicial Circuit. Other Illinois counties with existing teams include Will County, Lake County, Peoria County, Cook County and several others.
The state program defines eligible cases broadly. Regional teams review fatalities and near-fatalities believed to result from domestic violence, including overdoses and suicides, according to the state DVFR website.
Local resources
Berlin made the announcement during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Family Shelter Service of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage, one of the organizations on the team, offers services including temporary housing, emergency shelter, a 24/7 hotline, orders of protection assistance and counseling for DuPage County residents. The Wheaton-based organization can be reached at 630-469-5650.
