Sauk County Receives a Grant for the Domestic Violence Liason Project

Name calling. Verbal threats. Intimidation. Hitting. Kicking. Stalking. Sexual Assault. No matter the level of severity, the form in which it is delivered or its intentionality, violence is violence. And when it occurs between current partners, former couples, members of the same household or former co-habitants, it’s considered domestic violence. According to a report created by the Sauk County Coordinated Community Response (CCR) Team, the Sauk County District Attorney’s office handled 416 domestic violence cases in 2008. In addition, the State of Wisconsin saw a 2.5% increase in the domestic violence related incidents between the years 2006 and 2007; from 25,531 cases in 2006 to 29,667 cases in 2007 (Wisconsin Department of Justice 2007 Domestic Abuse Incident Report, pg. 3).

With more than 400 domestic violence related cases on its court docket annually, Sauk County decided to act. Following numerous meetings involving a variety of interested community members, the CCR committee in partnership with the Sheriff’s Department applied for and received a grant through the Violence Against Women Act Program and the Office of Justice Assistance.

The Sauk County Sheriff’s Department is pleased to announce the recent hiring of Julia Persike as the coordinator of their Domestic Violence Liaison (DVL) Project. In this newly created, 100% grant-funded position, Ms. Persike will administer services between local law enforcement, the District Attorney’s office, the Victim Witness Program and the Hope House of South Central Wisconsin. The goal of the Domestic Violence Liaison Project is to improve law enforcement response during domestic violence calls by assisting officers in victim/offender responses. In addition, Ms. Persike will assist in the training of law enforcement officers, will work collaboratively with the Community Coordinated Response Team to ensure improved communication and will serve as a link for county-wide domestic violence services. The Sauk County DVL Project will result in streamlined reporting, improved law enforcement response and expanded community partnerships to ensure victim-centered services, perpetrator accountability and increased community safety.

In addition to the DVL Project grant, Sauk County also received a small “Firearms Surrender” grant. The purpose of this grant is to assist counties in implementing a best practice protocol for appropriate firearm surrender as related to domestic violence injunction orders. Both grants will be administered through the Sheriff’s Department and managed by Ms. Persike.

Prior to accepting this position, Ms. Persike facilitated community corrections-based domestic violence groups in both Sauk and Columbia counties. She also led a domestic violence group as part of deferred prosecution agreements entered into by the State and defendants. Ms. Persike is an advocate for improved domestic violence services and feels that, although the county has an excellent system in place, there are a few remaining areas where improvements can be implemented.

Ms. Persike’s office is located in the Sauk County Law Enforcement Center. She can be reached at 608.355.3206 or by email at jpersike@co.sauk.wi.us.