by Mary Reardon Johnson
Executive Director, YWCA of Western Massachusetts

Officer down! Around the city of Springfield, Mass., sirens blare, lights flash, emergency vehicles screech and news media are dispatched. Yellow tape goes up and the first accounts are sent out over the air and internet.
The veteran police officer responded to a call requesting assistance for a woman who had just received a restraining order and feared returning to her apartment. Reports indicated that she feared her alleged abuser’s reaction the court’s order for him to vacate the apartment. Their baby was with him in their apartment. Court documents indicate that she reported he was dangerous and had a gun. Media accounts report that he grabbed the woman and shot the officer through the door, then shot the woman, opened the door, and issued a fatal shot to the officer’s head. The abuser subsequently fled and killed himself. The police officer died in the line of duty. The woman was left in critical condition. Miraculously, the baby was physically unharmed.
A stunned and mourning city felt the pain, disbelief, danger, complexity and rippling consequences of domestic violence.
I felt it as a domestic violence advocate. I know the terror, hopelessness and helplessness women feel for themselves and their children. I was immediately fearful that women would be further discouraged from taking out restraining orders and requesting help because they fear retaliation and escalation, or fear that even the police may not be able to protect them. It became even more imperative to talk about the services available to victims of domestic violence — including protection for our heroic police officers.
I realized that despite the inherent challenges and clashes of institutional cultures, women’s advocates needed to continue to work with and within all the systems that “our women” must navigate. It has not been easy, but over the decades we have learned to work with police, courts, sheriff departments, schools, hospitals and other service providers. Each of us has a vivid perspective and expertise that impacts the women we serve. True confessions reveal that we can also be fierce competitors for dwindling resources.
In our community, funding from the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has encouraged and mandated collaboration between social service providers and local law enforcement. With the initial VAWA legislation in 1994, Congress recognized the massive and complex problem of domestic violence and, in response, helped us begin to formulate a strategy in that respected and challenged our individual and collective expertise. As a result, the number of restraining orders has increased, the number of domestic violence-related homicides has decreased and maximizing resources has saved taxpayer money. The VAWA funding that YWCA of Western Massachusetts received from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women has dramatically improved and enhanced our ability to deliver services. VAWA is legislation with a proven track record and impact. I am discouraged that its reauthorization is not imminent. How can there be a problem with such successful outcomes and savings?
By failing to move VAWA forward, Congress is putting the lives of police officers, women in abusive households and their children at risk. As we have seen in Springfield, this is a matter of life and death.
Working together, supporting one another, respecting differences, forcing systems of service to be accountable, improving communities and reducing the impact of violence against women in our communities are all good. Now let’s all work together to make sure that Congress reauthorizes VAWA without further delay.
Mary Reardon Johnson, M.S.W,. has served as the executive director of the YWCA of Western Massachusetts for 30 years. She has overseen the design and construction of the largest battered women’s shelter in New England and the development of the organization as the largest and most comprehensive provider of domestic violence services in the state.
YWCA USA is a partner in HERvotes, a coalition of leading women’s organizations focused on mobilizing women voters in 2012 around preserving women’s Health and Economic Rights (HERrights.) This post is part of the #HERvotes blog carnival.
I’m proud to be working with the YWCA of western mass!!! The crime in the Springfield, Ma area is getting out of control. It should be without question that congress reauthorizes VAWA. I know I will be doing my part in contacting my senators to get this pushed through.
Come on, tell the whole story. This has more to do with the stupidity of the (V)iolence (A)gainst (W)omen (A)ct than anything else. VAWA is all about automatically arresting, restraining and prosecuting a person that often has done nothing wrong. Even if they have, automatic restraints often put the abused spouse in more danger, not less – perhaps the situation in this article.
VAWA isn’t about protecting truly abused victims. Instead its about funding the criminal justice system and to get the money from the US Justice Department you’ve got to automatically arrest, restrain and prosecute – stupid. VAWA is a terrible, pork-barrel project that should NOT be renewed at all. This is just one example of why.
My brother suggested I might like this website. He was entirely right.
This post actually made my day. You can not imagine simply how much
time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
Hi my loved one! I want to say that this post is amazing, great written and come with almost all significant infos.
I’d like to look extra posts like this .
What’s up mates, fastidious paragraph and nice urging commented here, I am in fact
enjoying by these.
My brother recommended I would possibly like this website.
He was entirely right. This publish actually made my day.
You cann’t imagine just how so much time I had spent for this info!
Thanks!
It’s an remarkable article designed for all the internet visitors; they will take
advantage from it I am sure.
Useful info. Lucky me I found your site by accident, and I’m surprised why this twist of fate did
not came about earlier! I bookmarked it.
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an extremely
long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear.
Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted
to say superb blog!
Excellent pieces. Keep posting such kind of info on your page.
Im really impressed by your blog.
Hey there, You have done a great job. I’ll definitely digg it and
personally recommend to my friends. I am sure they’ll be benefited from this web site.
Hey! Quick question that’s totally off topic. Do you know how
to make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when browsing
from my apple iphone. I’m trying to find a theme or
plugin that might be able to resolve this problem.
If you have any recommendations, please share.
With thanks!
Pretty portion of content. I just stumbled upon your web site
and in accession capital to assert that I
acquire actually enjoyed account your weblog posts.
Anyway I will be subscribing on your augment and even I
achievement you get entry to consistently quickly.
What’s up to every body, it’s my first pay a visit of this webpage; this webpage
carries awesome and truly fine information designed for readers.
hi!,I really like your writing very a lot! proportion we keep in touch extra
about your article on AOL? I need an expert on this area to
resolve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Having
a look ahead to peer you.
Hello friends, how is everything, and what you
would like to say about this paragraph, in my view its actually remarkable
in favor of me.