TOLEDO, Ohio — On Monday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a new law looking to curb domestic violence killings across the state, authorizing review boards for each county.
According to the text of the new law, each review board would see 11 safety and health leaders - including the health commissioner, sheriff, coroner and eight others - collaborating together to take a hard look at local domestic violence deaths, peeling back the layers in hopes of exposing the causes and conditions that would lead to someone killing their significant other.
To do so, they would spend each year collecting detailed information on both new and old cases in their county. They would focus in particular on gathering information about the deceased and the perpetrator, the cause of death and details about their relationship leading up to the incident, hoping to find trends and warning signs they can share with the community.
The review board would then take what it learned and distribute the information to the public with the hope that if people better understand the red flags and signs of a domestic violence situation, potential victims could leave before it's too late.
Additionally, the review boards would keep an annual count of the number of domestic violence fatalities and work year after year to get the number closer to zero.
Locally, Christie Jenkins, the CEO of the Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center, said that with around 2,000 victims of domestic abuse in our area annually, this review board is a huge step in the right direction. Jenkins hopes its analysis will help answer multiple questions about how domestic violence is addressed in the greater Toledo area.
"(Questions like) is there any sort of issue that we're missing, any sort of resource that should be available that's not? How are other communities responding to this, are they responding better?" Jenkins said.
For 27 years Jenkins has worked in greater Toledo, trying to heal homes and help victims of domestic violence. She said that any time new groups of people get involved, it's a win for the community.
"I think anytime we take a deeper dive, we bring a clean look, with fresh eyes, and everyone is objective and wants the greater good of the community, it can only be a good thing," said Jenkins.
Jenkins said when Lucas County's review board gathers its data, it should make an effort to share it, especially with children and teens. Jenkins said it's important to show them what red flags look like early.
"Often what happens is they grow up in a household that has domestic violence, that's what was modeled for them and they end up in those relationships in their adulthood because no one ever told them anything was wrong with that," Jenkins said.
She said her only concern is that with so many different groups on the same board, individual agendas might get in the way of progress.
But she has optimism as long as people stay focused on making change. "It will be incredibly beneficial," said Jenkins.
Jenkins said if you or a loved one are living in a domestic violence situation, the Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center has resources available to help.
You can reach the center at 419-244-3053 or www.FCAPC.org.