Podcast on Crimes Against Women
The Conference on Crimes Against Women (CCAW) is thrilled the announce the Podcast on Crimes Against Women (PCAW). Continuing with our fourth season, the PCAW releases new episodes every Monday. The PCAW serves as an extension of the information and topics presented at the annual Conference, providing in-depth dialogue, fresh perspectives, and relevant updates by experts in the fields of victim advocacy, criminal justice, medicine, and more. This podcast’s format hopes to create a space for topical conversations aimed to engage and educate community members on the issue of violence against women, how it impacts our daily lives, and how we can work together to create lasting cultural and systemic change.
Podcast on Crimes Against Women
If Lethality Is Predictable Why Aren’t We Taking Action?
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Forty percent of homicides tied to intimate partner violence is not a “domestic issue.” It’s a community-wide prevention problem. I’m joined by Detective Brandon Wooten to explain how domestic violence high-risk teams (DVHRTs) are changing what happens before the worst day, using evidence-based lethality assessment and a coordinated response that actually moves cases forward.
We dig into the DVHRT model step by step: how teams identify high-risk domestic violence cases early, connect survivors to supportive services, and increase offender monitoring and accountability. Brandon breaks down who belongs at the table and why community-based advocacy is the most critical role. We also clarify the difference between a broad coordinated community response and a high-risk team that builds concrete action plans, from stronger investigations to bond arguments that reflect validated lethality risk factors like firearm access, strangulation, stalking, and recent separation.
You’ll hear why success is often rooted in relationships more than any tool, how teams measure impact through trends and reduced repeat offenses, and why this work doesn’t have to be cost prohibitive. We also talk about culturally responsive partnerships, including ways to better support Latinx survivors and reduce barriers that keep people from seeking help. If you work in law enforcement, prosecution, advocacy, pretrial services, probation, or courts and you want practical domestic violence homicide prevention strategies, this conversation lays out a clear place to start.
Content Warning And Welcome
SPEAKER_00The subject matter of this podcast will address difficult topics, multiple forms of violence and identity-based discrimination and harassment. We acknowledge that this content may be difficult and have listed specific content warnings in each episode description to help create a positive, safe experience for all listeners. Welcome to the podcast on crimes against women. I'm Maria McMullen. Today's episode features one of our upcoming speakers for the 2026 Conference on Crimes Against Women. In this conversation, Detective Brandon Wooten details the transformative impact of domestic violence high-risk teams in preventing intimate partner homicides. Drawing from his extensive law enforcement experience, he shares the approach that has significantly reduced fatalities in his jurisdiction, where nearly 40% of homicides are tied to domestic violence. In this conversation that was first featured in 2024 on this podcast, you'll hear how multidisciplinary teams bring together law enforcement, prosecutors, and service providers to create a coordinated proactive response, one that prioritizes early identification of high-risk cases, stronger offender monitoring, and long-term support for survivors, particularly within the Latinx community. Brandon, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_01Thank you for having me, Marie. I'm very excited to talk to you.
SPEAKER_00So I'm really excited to talk to you because I don't really know much about domestic violence high-risk teams. And I work for a domestic violence shelter and uh non-residential support center, and I've been doing so for years and talking to experts from around the world for years. So I'm glad you're here, and I understand you are uh kind of an expert in this area, and it's somewhat of a new initiative across the country. It's it's kind of recent, um, maybe within the last 10 or so years. Before we talk about what a domestic violence high-risk team is, specifically the one that you helped to develop, tell us about the rates of domestic violence in the area where you've served or you're currently serving, and why you felt the formation of a high-risk team was necessary.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. So I I would like to say too that like, yeah, the concept of DVHRT, domestic violence high risk team, um, is, you know, within the last 10 years, um, all credit to the Geiger Institute, of course. Um, but the the concept of a multidisciplinary team is a story as old as time. So fortunately, you know, I I've fallen into this space and thank you for letting me talk about it. So, specific to what we're seeing here where I work, we're on track, for example, in 2024 to have 800 domestic violence cases within our city. And so we know based on the research and the well-established research that about 30% of those will be of the high-risk nature. And so when we think about that as a community, right, that's I'm not a super big math guy, but that's more than 200 high-risk cases. So 200 folks in our community who are at risk of being seriously injured or killed by their intimate partner. And so with those numbers, it's really a situation which how how do we not do more, right? As a as a country, as a world, really. The other important thing to note is that in the last 10 years in the jurisdiction that I work in, 40% of the homicides have been directly related to intimate partner violence. Um, and so again, as a community, we're looking to reduce homicide and homicide prevention efforts. Um, we need not look any further than you know, 40% of them being domestic violence related. Another thing that kind of is striking about our community is that although the Latinx community represents a small portion of our population, uh they are represented twice that in victimization of intimate partner violence. And so again, just an effort to really collaborate and as a group of professionals uh sort of make an impact in that space.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I it's not surprising to hear the statistics that you mentioned because those sound pretty consistent with what we see and and talk about across the country. It still sounds like it's one in four, it still sounds like it's largely underreported because they're, you know, you're on track for 800 cases for the year 2024, but it's probably three times that because people don't report. And I'm glad to hear that you have addressed this in such a robust manner in the location where you are now. So tell us about um what a high-risk team is, helping us understand, like, you know, the purpose and the work that you do.
The Four Parts Of DVHRT
SPEAKER_01Sure. So there's really four main components of the domestic violence high-risk team model, and again, uh creation of which was the Geiger Institute and Dr. Campbell. But the first prong is early identification through evidence-based uh risk assessment. So um, you know, we can't really have a functioning team aimed at preventing domestic violence homicide if we don't have a way to measure lethal risk. The second piece is increased access to supportive services. So we know um through the statistics that if if we can connect a survivor to supportive services in the community, we drastically reduce the chances that their intimate partner will ultimately kill them. The next piece of it is an increased defender monitoring and accountability, right? So again, if if we aim to prevent something, we must also take a look at what are we doing to not only help the person who could be harmed, but also hold the person accountable ahead of time that will do the harming. And then the fourth sort of prong is this coordinated multidisciplinary response. So it sort of builds upon itself, Maria, insofar as if you start with identification of risk, you connect those folks to the services they need in the community to keep them safe, you monitor and hold accountable the offender, and then we have a group of multidisciplinary members that sit at the same table, and that sort of comprises the work that we're doing. So I assume your next question will probably be well, Brandon, who sits at that table? Um so the core components of a you know DB multidisciplinary team are obviously law enforcement. You need the prosecutors in your jurisdiction at the table, um, you need your pretrial services folks at the table, you need the DV service provider for the community at the table, and that's a critically important piece that I really don't want to gloss over. Arguably the most important piece is the DV service provider, the community-based advocacy. Yeah, you know, having the parole, probation folks at the table, really kind of the before, during, and after piece is kind of really the heart of the work we're doing.
SPEAKER_00So a high-risk team is really devoted to the cases that where lethality is at the highest risk. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_01Yes, that's correct, Maria.
SPEAKER_00And so all the services that you're bringing to the table will not only address the domestic violence, but also the lethality and how to get the victim to safety and perhaps the offender off the street.
SPEAKER_01That is correct. So so really the thought process is we're going to connect the survivor to services that will set them up for the best success. And we all know that leaving and the choice to end a relationship is never something that law enforcement should be telling a survivor to do, right? Only they know when it's safe to do so. And so let's leave that to the community-based advocates to have that conversation. Now let's on the back end, right, build the strongest case we can to hold the offender accountable so that hopefully we can help stop the cycle from the from the system standpoint.
Who Sits At The Table
SPEAKER_00So domestic violence, high-risk teams, um, they haven't always been around, as we said in the beginning of the show. And you were right, the basis for developing the team is the work of Dr. Jacqueline Campbell. Her research really was the underpinning of the high-risk team. So, how did this all come about then? How did you decide to develop a high-risk team for the area that you're working in? And how can other local law enforcement agencies get started in creating and implementing a similar team?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. So the reason that I set about to um start this domestic violence high-risk team was just really recognizing the need. Um, you know, we have, I work in a fairly large city in northern Colorado, and we had individuals doing really great work, right? We had police officers responding to calls doing a good job, connecting those survivors to our local DV service provider. And that was sort of the end of the connection, right? We weren't maintaining long-term connection with those cases, with the prosecutor's office, with pretrial services. Um, and what we were seeing is a vast amount of our misdemeanor-level domestic violence cases were just rinse and repeat, right? We were making an arrest, the offender is out the next day, and in a week we're back. And we're seeing patterns and patterns and patterns of individual players are doing the level best that they can, but we weren't really communicating at a higher level. And so, fortunately, from my previous experience in my law enforcement career, um I knew that there was a way that we could address this. Um, and the way we can address it is through the multidisciplinary approach. And so that we're not, you know, I I don't a super big fan of the term, you know, working in silos, but that's exactly what it was. Um and and really creating the high risk team was a means to to break down those silos and really all work together with the spirit of keeping people alive, right? I I think one of the things I tell my team all the time is our job is to put the DB fatality review board out of work, right? Um, we are a proactive team. We are not a after the fact, hey, what could we have done better? Um we are let's prevent the homicides so that that team never has to talk about it.
SPEAKER_00How many homicides do you see related to domestic violence in your jurisdiction?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so in the last 10 years, um, 40% of our homicides have been domestic violence related. And that would put it right around the uh 22 or 23 mark. Um the other thing to note is it it really is dependent on the state and how they keep their, how they track their domestic violence fatality and really how they define domestic violence, right? So collateral victimization is something that doesn't get talked about enough insofar as it's not just the intended target that is victim of the homicide, right? Nationally, that number is about 20%, where there's an additional 20% of folks that are collateral victims. In the state of Colorado, that number is at right about 40%. And so not only are we aiming to prevent the homicide of the DV victim, but of their children, of the responding law enforcement officers, of a neighbor who called it in, really trying to address that whole totality.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, that's that's very smart. Now, had you worked with high-risk teams previously to your current role?
SPEAKER_01Yes. So where I came from in my in my prior law enforcement experience in the state of Montana, um I did run a domestic violence high-risk team in that location as well, where we were using evidence-based lethality assessment to, you know, sort of drive the work in a similar fashion to how we aim to do it here.
How The Team Works In Practice
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And so the high-risk team, it sounds familiar to me, right? It sounds a lot like the coordinated community response, but for a very specific purpose, and that being reducing fatalities. So what partnerships, I know you listed off the people at the table, but what other partnerships are most effective for high-risk teams for this purpose and how have they helped?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I and and I hear what you're saying regarding the the CCR. The one thing I want to draw the distinction of between a high-risk team and a CCR is think of a coordinated community response as almost like an advisory board, right? This is every professional who could touch a domestic violence case. And how can we, how can we process improve, right? That's kind of think of the CCR in that way. Think of the high risk team as we are the nuts and bolts of the system trying to prevent the homicide, right? We're the ones making action plans, right? Like tangible steps. What are we gonna do next, right? Pre-trial services, what are you gonna do regarding GPS offender uh monitoring for the offender? Um, DA's office, right? Are we gonna ask for higher bond, cash bond based on the history and the lethality risk posed? And so, you know, law enforcement, are we gonna do you know another uh interview if it's applicable? Are we gonna, hey, let's have the child witnesses forensically interviewed so we can really bolster this case? Um and so when when I think of the difference between CCR and the high risk team, it really is the CCR gives us best practices and then the high risk team does the work. And so, you know, the critical, as I mentioned earlier, the critical component of the community-based advocacy, right? And and I want to really highlight the fact that the DBHRT is not a prosecution-based team. That is not, we we don't in our right MOUs and in our you know mission and vision, it's not let's prosecute as many DV cases as we can. We are a survivor-centered team, and so whatever that looks like, whatever safety looks like for them. And so it might be right, our DB service provider saying, Hey, law enforcement, like sit down, now's not the time, it's not safe to report, and us trusting the DB service provider and saying, you know, because we all work together so well, we trust their judgment. So the DB service provider is arguably the most important piece. And then, of course, having the buy-in of the prosecutors and the courts. Because as our friends at the Geiger Institute will say, you know, just measuring lethality doesn't do any good, right? Well, what do we actually do with that information on the back end? Um, so we use it to inform bond decisions. We use it to make cogent arguments for why we need a higher bond and why strangulation, right? It if a prosecutor so much as goes in and a bond argument and says, hey, we know that this is now a 750% increased chance that they will kill their intimate partner and the judge hears that, right? That's powerful. And so we're using we're you we're using lethality risk to inform not only law enforcement, but the court process and the DA's office and and really, you know, making a that's where we make our impact.
Measuring Results And Real Case Example
SPEAKER_00It sounds like you're doing everything right. I mean, it's music to my ears, some of the things that you were saying. So, how effective has this been?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so the one thing I'll always say when when people ask, that's right, one of the number one questions is efficacy, right? How can you show what you're doing? It is effective. And and one thing I always want to tell people at the beginning is this is a lot like DUI enforcement, right? We will never be able to say definitively that we saved X amount of lives based on the work that we're doing, similarly to saying, you know, we we can't say how many fatalities are prevented by DUI enforcement.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_01What we can track though is trends, right? We can say year over year, have we had a reduction in homicides? Um, and in my previous, you know, my previous uh role within law enforcement, um, we were seeing year over year decreases in intimate partner homicides. Other places around the country that use this model have seen year over year reductions. And, you know, that's the best way. The other way that we can tell is are we seeing recidivism, right? Are we seeing the same folks over and over and over again? And largely we are not. You know, one case example I would give is you know, law enforcement patrol officers have responded well over a dozen times to the same violation of the order of protection, right? Their abusive partner was violating the protection order time and time again. And that person was actually charged over 12 times with individual violations of the order of protection. Well, when the high risk team was referred that case, holistically we looked at it and said, well, hey, if it's happened more than 12 times, it's stalking at this point. Um, and so let's work with the DA's office to upcharge these misdemeanor protection order violations to felony stalking. And once we were able to do that and we were able to get higher offender accountability via GPS, via some other things that the court can now impose because we went from a misdemeanor to a felony, we stopped having the protection order violations. And that doesn't work every time, right? That's not to say that this is a foolproof system, but that's just one small example of when we all sit at the same table and work together and we have relationships, and I don't want to gloss over relationships. Relationships are the most important part. It is not the tool that gauges the lethality, it is not how good I am individually or how good someone else is individually, it's relationships.
SPEAKER_00I mean totally. I mean, these are the things that solve cases, right? These are the things that move cases forward. And if you can put aside personal agendas and political agendas and just work on the task at hand, solving cases or helping domestic violence victims. Um I say solving cases because I listen to a lot of uh true crime, true crime podcasts, not my own, others. And uh there are so many cold cases, and when agendas get involved, that's when things go in a bad direction or cases do not get pursued or victims do not get protected. And I think I asked the question about the efficacy of a high-risk team because I want people to hear uh not only that it's effective, but that it's a wise investment of time and resources.
Starting A Team Without A Budget
SPEAKER_01Well, and uh I uh 100% agree with you on both of those points. The other thing I want to point out is it isn't cost prohibitive, right? To start this team where I am now, it was sending an email to the individual stakeholders and requesting an initial meeting. In that initial meeting, I say, Hey, DV service provider, hey, you know, uh community justice alternatives, this is my vision, right? This is what I believe we can all accomplish together. Then it transitioned to, okay, now all these people are in the same room and I'm giving the same presentation again about why this work should be done. And everyone in the room, it's it's like light bulbs are going on, right? Like, oh my goodness, we we work half a mile down the road from this other agency and we really don't talk.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_01And so the investment is energy, right? The investment is time. Well, our high-risk team doesn't have an operating budget, right? We operate, you know, under the color of our own agency, and we get together, and every two weeks we staff high-risk cases, and you know, we we move the needle in that mark. So it's not a huge lift, as big as I think people think sometimes.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think when you say establish a high-risk team, it sounds like this is going to be a major initiative and it's gonna be a government line item, you know, but it doesn't have to be because everyone that you're talking about who is participating in these conversations, uh, they already exist. They already have a job. You're just bringing them together for meeting about high-risk cases.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. Yes, these are all players that already exist and would already be doing the work. Now we're just coordinating that work and how we can most effectively do it together.
SPEAKER_00About how many would you say exist across the country right now?
SPEAKER_01Well, so it sort of depends on on what box you want to put it in, right? Specific to DVHRT and the institute or the model from the Geiger Institute. Um, I think they estimate there's, you know, upwards of, I think they have, I don't know, probably 20 to 30 communities um operating under their model. But what I will say is whatever it's called, it's a multidisciplinary team. And so, right, there's there's multiple in the state of Colorado, there's multiple in the state of Montana where I came from. I would say that it's underutilized, but I would say that the movement is certainly picking up. And I think, you know, a big reason that these things haven't happened yet is I think people are sort of just, I don't know, concerned by the red tape. Um and one of the things I would say is that it's it's not as bad as it sounds. Um again, these people already exist in the jobs they do. Someone just needs to raise their hand and say, hey, I want to schedule a meeting. Um, and that's how we get where we go.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think that's an important call to action for this conversation and for uh domestic violence high-risk teams in general, that um it it maybe is just a matter of saying it out loud to the right group of people, or to your point, sending an email, and maybe your community can have a domestic violence high-risk team, or just at least talk about it. And is it necessary and how would it be helpful? And so to those points, how does the DVHRT reduce intimate partner fatalities?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. So one of the, again, I can't take credit for this, but the Geiger Institute, right? They'll say time and time again, if it's predictable, it's preventable. And so what the high risk team is doing is like I mentioned, we're starting with evidence-based, right, risk assessment. And based on the data we're getting from that, right, firearm ownership, uh prior strangulation, stalking, um, you know, recent separation, we're using those real, you know, research-based um things that that predict lethality to then help prevent it. And so if it's predictable, it is preventable. In in 2022, in Colorado, the DV Fatality Review Board put out a you know, their annual report. And in that annual report, it said 50% of the IPV homicide victims in that year had caught 50% of them had contact with law enforcement. And so what that tells us is that the system is engaging with the folks who are ultimately killed. But what is the system doing for them, right? And and as an individual law enforcement officer responding to a domestic violence call, I can do my part for sure, but I can't do, all right, I'm not the whole system. I'm not the DA's office, I'm not the DV service provider, I'm not pretrial services. And so what that tells us is that that's how we predict and prevent the homicide is we all sit at the same table and action plan together. And so, you know, your question is how do we do it? Well, the how is again starts with relationships, and then the what is the tangible action planning that the high-risk team does to achieve two things, right? Connect the survivor to services and hold the offender accountable. How we hold the offender accountable, we do that through bolstering investigations, through making cogent bond arguments, through having these high-risk lethality factors actually go it go as far as impacting what the DA will plea a case to. I mean, it it touches so many layers of the system that that's how we use the predictability of the risk factors and then prevent the homicide.
What Lethality Assessment Means
SPEAKER_00Okay, so I want to back up for one second and just make sure all of our listeners understand what we're talking about when we say lethality and lethality assessment, because not everybody listening may be familiar with that term. So if you could explain what the lethality assessment is and its specific role in the high risk team.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. So again, all credit due to Dr. Jacqueline Campbell and Dr. Jill Messing.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01Um, and there are others, right? Dr. Neil Websdale, sort of The really the researchers and the brains behind lethality assessment. So they've spent decades validating and researching the predictive factors of future homicide. And so when we're talking about lethality assessment, there's specific questions. And depending on the assessment tool you use, right? Some are longer, some are shorter, but at the root of them, they're all sort of getting at the same thing, right? So a lethality assessment is actually something delivered or administered on scene to a victim of intimate partner violence. And we're asking them questions to gauge lethality. So, right, a question on most lethality assessments is, right, does your partner own a gun? Another one would be, you know, has he or she ever strangled you? Is he or she, you know, constantly or violently jealous? And so these questions that are all based on research. Um so the good news is, right, for all of us in the field doing the work now, right, Dr. Campbell, Dr. Messing, Dr. Websdale, they've done all the work for us. Now all we have to do is be trauma-informed when we ask these questions, and we unlock the key to keeping this person alive. So lethality assessment, right, there's all sorts. There's various assessments out there. There's the LAP, which was created by the Maryland Network. Um, there's the Dale, so the Danger Assessment for Law Enforcement from the Geiger Institute. Um, there's Appraise, which is Arizona and Dr. Webbsdale's tool. Um, there's O'Dara, the Ontario Danger Assessment. I mean, there's so many out there, and they do varying, uh they all go toward the same thing, but there's slight nuances. Really, what I would say to that, Maria, is I don't care what tool a community uses as long as they use one. And, you know, there are, I want to put a plug in here for uh DB Risk, which is under the Office of Alliance Against Women, they're sort of a clearinghouse for uh sites and agencies that want to get on board um with using lethality assessment. There's so much out there that we can do specific to that. And so that's what lethality assessment is. What's a site has chosen a lethality assessment, and those lethality assessments then are a direct referral to the high-risk team. And so, you know, we'll use the example of an officer at two in the morning is going on a DV call, they do a lethality assessment, and they scan it into this predetermined right distribution group. When I get in at 7 a.m. the next day, I have the danger assessment or whatever tool is being used in front of me, and now the high-risk team can get off and running if we need to. Um, so really the lethality assessment is the primary referral pathway to the high-risk team.
Culturally Responsive Support For Latinx Survivors
SPEAKER_00Makes sense. When we first started talking, you mentioned Latinx and minorities who experience domestic violence at a higher rate. Have you found that culturally sensitive services can be integrated with this high-risk team and possibly improve outcomes for those victims?
SPEAKER_01100% 100%. So every community is different, right? Everybody has a different cultural makeup and has different resources in their community. But I can say for our high-risk team, we have a community resource center for the Latinx community, and they are a part of our team. There's really no other way to do it. Um, you know, if we understand that the Latinx community has a higher rate of domestic violence victimization, then we ought to have someone on the team who can help us be right culturally responsive and and you know, sort of break down that that distrust that's honestly a lot of the time well-earned, um, unfortunately. And so if we if we can break down those barriers, right? And again, it goes back to relationships, Maria. So we have a great working relationship with that local service provider. And because of that, they trust us, we trust them. Now, when a survivor goes to them and says, hey, I feel stuck, but I don't think I can go to the police, or I don't think I can report this. Now that relationship that already exists between us and that service provider is what actually helps that survivor feel comfortable reporting what's happening to them. And so I think we've got to do that. I don't think you can have an effective high-risk team if you don't have representation of those minority communities at the table.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's an excellent point. So, how long has this particular high-risk team been in play?
Courts Buy-In And Survivor-Centered Focus
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I came down to the state of Colorado about two and a half years ago from Montana, and I started this effort about a year and a half ago. So, about a year into being here, you know, the agency that I work for, I've had excellent support from the executive staff, the chief of police to really create something new here. And so we've got about a year and a half of formation. Now, I will say, um, no high-risk team comes together in a week, right? This was months of relationship building and you know, MOU development and things of that nature. But in the year and a half we've been together, we've seen incredible outcomes. Situations where, you know, previously a person would go to bond for strangulation and get a$400 personal recognizance bond. Now, when those cases come in, right, we're communicating with the DA's office, the DV service provider, and we're saying we're going to bonds now and making excellent arguments. And when I say we, I mean the DA's office. They're making excellent bond arguments. And we've seen those cases go from 400 PR personal recognizance to 10,000 cash only because we're speaking the same language as it relates to lethality and preventing future homicides.
SPEAKER_00That sounds like a lot of education was invested in the entire in all of the players for the high-risk team, including the prosecutors, maybe even judges.
SPEAKER_01Yes. So in my jurisdiction, um, the judges actually opened the door and let me come talk to them. Um, I was able to present to their monthly meeting and talk about the high-risk team and how we can predict and prevent lethal and near-lethal violence, and what role the court plays in that. And and you know, when you're using evidence-based lethality assessment, the court has an easier time getting on board with what we're doing, right? Because the court is an impartial entity, they have to weigh both sides, and when they hear information, they prefer it to be evidence-based and and you know, have have a long um trail of research behind it. And so when I was able to bring that to the bench and say, hey, this isn't something that I, you know, wrote on a piece of paper with Crayon, right? I didn't create this in the backyard. This is something that is well researched. The courts are on board, the prosecutors are on board. It is a truly a community-wide effort.
SPEAKER_00So when you say the courts, which courts are you talking about?
SPEAKER_01So I'm talking about the criminal courts. So the courts in which um folks would go to bond after getting criminally charged, or ultimately where their trial will be held. Because I work for law enforcement, obviously, you know, I'm I'm not involved in the civil court process, although I will say the high-risk team does and can have a have an impact in the family court setting. Um you knew where I was going with this. I I did. So ultimately, right, the criminal case is a very small part of a survivor story. And and we know that a lot of the barriers to reporting are what's going to happen next in family court. And so we're very well aware of, and that's why I say, Maria, that we're a survivor-centered team, right? If if the facts don't support us moving forward with a criminal case, then we don't, right? Because our goal is just to keep people alive. Our goal is not to get as many prosecutions, right? We're not looking for notches in a belt, so to speak.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, this is about the safety of the individuals involved and the safety of the community, of course. Uh, but in family court, I would hope that the people who are at the table for the high risk team in some of these cases, that they can be helpful to the victim when she with what she's going to encounter in family court, which is a very different scenario.
SPEAKER_01It is very different. Um and admittedly, right, the domestic violence high-risk team is geared toward uh the criminal court. That being said, a lot of the disciplines at the table also are involved with family court. And so we do touch both systems.
SPEAKER_00Maybe an investment in education in family court would wouldn't be a bad idea. I'm just saying.
SPEAKER_01You are very correct.
SPEAKER_00You're also the founder of Light the Way Consulting. Um, what is the work you perform and who does it help?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I created that. I created Light the Way Consulting because I wanted to help at a higher level. And so when I say that, I mean, right, there's agencies all over the country and jurisdictions who want to do the kind of work that we're doing and they just don't know where to start. And so my mission is to help folks who, like me, right? 10 years ago, me, who had these wild dreams of doing something like this, um, and and and helping them right get their feet off the ground. Um, when I was at the conference on crimes against women uh this summer in Dallas, I I met so many people who were like, hey, I love the concept, but how do I start?
SPEAKER_00And so I'm Were you a presenter at the conference?
SPEAKER_01I wasn't last year. Um I was I was there, I spoke a little bit with DV Risk. I was in um the Geiger Institute's um presentation, and they sort of dimed me out, so to speak, as I was in the crowd. Yeah, um, because we'd work together. And you know, I I just I love to help and make an impact. And so my hope with Light the Way Consulting is that anything as it relates to domestic violence, right? If it's domestic violence 101, right, do we need to get our cops more trauma informed? Do we need to, you know, help educate our our prosecutors? Do we need to do that?
SPEAKER_00We need to do all those things, yes. Yes, keep going.
SPEAKER_01And and and all those things, Maria, are my goal. Um, so there really isn't a one thing that I do, I will do anything.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, you know, agency big or small, um, I I'm I'm here for it.
SPEAKER_00So you said this was one of your wildest dreams. So how how is that? How did that become a dream for you?
SPEAKER_01So I as a as a young person really didn't know that I wanted to be in law enforcement. Um, but I grew up, my first eight years of life were fairly tumultuous. Um, you know, I saw my own mother experience domestic violence, and I think that was the underpinning for what I would ultimately do. And I was in the academy as a 21-year-old, you know, freshly graduated from college, and I sat through my first domestic violence presentation and the light bulb went on. And I and I knew that for the rest of my career, my life, really, this is what I was going to dedicate myself to. And I haven't stopped. I've been teaching at police academies and around the country on the topics of domestic violence, and really I can't imagine doing anything else.
SPEAKER_00That's incredible that you were able to take those childhood experiences and and just put all of that energy into something positive that potentially saves lives and uh helps a lot of people. I'm really proud of you for that. Do you have a website where people can learn more about the Light the Way Consulting and possibly get in touch with you?
SPEAKER_01So I don't currently have a website, um, but Light the Way Consulting does have its own LinkedIn page. I myself uh have a have a LinkedIn page, and that's honestly where I get the bulk of the requests um to come to these various places and teach. So send me a message on LinkedIn. It's just Light the Way Consulting, just as it's as it's written, and I'd love to help and collaborate.
SPEAKER_00Perfect. Thank you so much for talking with me today, and I hope I see you at the Conference on Crimes Against Women.
SPEAKER_01I will see you there, Maria. Thank you. Thanks. Bye.
SPEAKER_00Thanks so much for listening. Until next time, stay safe. The 21st Annual Conference on Crimes Against Women will be held May 18th through the 21st, 2026, in Dallas, Texas. Learn more at conferencecaw.org and be the first to know about all conference details, as well as the latest on the Institute for Coordinated Community Response, Annual Conference Summit, Beyond the Bounds, and the National Training Center on Crimes Against Women. When you follow us on social media at National C C AW.