MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
January 12, 2015
MAYOR GARCETTI ANNOUNCES EXPANDED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS
LOS ANGELES — Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced a citywide expansion of the city’s Domestic Abuse Response Teams (DART). There are currently DART teams in 10 Los Angeles Police Department divisions; with the support of the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles and First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland, there will be teams in all 21 divisions across Los Angeles by the end of this year.
The expansion of domestic violence programs is a significant part of Mayor Garcetti’s public safety strategy for 2015 which is focused on reducing crime and securing trust between the LAPD and the people it serves.
“Most domestic violence happens behind closed doors, so law enforcement alone isn’t enough,” said Mayor Garcetti. “DART teams work directly with the LAPD and offer victims immediate and on-going services to break the cycle of violence once and for all.”
Every DART team pairs trained civilian advocates with LAPD police officers to respond to reported incidents of domestic violence. The team offers victims and their families an array of services and critical interventions including information and referral assistance, emergency shelter services, outreach, community education, assistance in developing safety plans, individual and group counseling, transportation, and other supportive services for adults (men and women) and children in shelters.
Mayor Garcetti also announced that his Gang Reduction and Youth Development program (GRYD) will incorporate domestic violence outreach and prevention. All GRYD staff, case managers, and intervention workers will receive specialized training. All GRYD agencies will offer domestic violence resources and services, and healthy relationship training and activities will be incorporated into 2015 Summer Night Lights programming which serves thousands of L.A. families every year.
