MARYLAND RECEIVES MORE THAN $2.4 MILLION THROUGH FEDERAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 15, 2010) – Governor Martin O’Malley announced today that Maryland will receive $2,474,638 under the federal STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program. The program provides funds for Services, Training, Officers and Prosecutors (STOP) in implementing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

“One of our most solemn obligations as public servants is the safety of the citizens we serve,” said Governor O’Malley. “Last year, 53 individuals died as a result of domestic violence in Maryland and, of those, 27 were killed with a firearm. Programs funded through the STOP program help us ensure that women throughout Maryland feel safe and secure. I want to thank Senator Barbara Mikulski and the leaders of our federal delegation for their work in securing these funds.”

“Domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking are horrific problems affecting thousands of Marylanders and millions of individuals across our country,” said Senator Mikulski, an original champion of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee (CJS), which is responsible for funding federal VAWA programs administered by the Justice Department. “The STOP Program has proven a valuable resource in the fight to curb domestic violence and sexual assault in Maryland. These funds provide victims advocacy providers, law enforcement officers, prosecutors and the courts with the most comprehensive and effective means of improving victim safety and holding offenders accountable for their crimes. I will continue my fight to put funds in the federal checkbook to fund these important programs.”

STOP VAWA is centered on the needs of victims. It encourages the development and improvement of effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies to address violent crimes against women and to enhance advocacy and victim services in cases of violent crimes against women.

In Maryland, law enforcement priorities for the funds include specialized training for officers in domestic violence, sexual assault and dating violence cases; specialized units or positions such as bilingual officers and domestic violence investigators; and implementation of policy and personnel relating to protective orders and firearms. For prosecutors, the funding provides among other services, bilingual and culturally competent staff; training in domestic violence and the appointment of prosecutors to focus full-time on domestic violence cases.

Thirty percent of STOP VAWA funds are committed to services for domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence victims. Victim service providers offer core, enhanced and culturally sensitive services to all victims, including traditionally underserved groups such as the Latino population and Asian-Pacific Islanders. Among other measures, support activities will enable victims to access crisis intervention programs, legal services, medical accompaniment, bilingual hotlines and safety planning in their own languages. The program will also provide resources to courts, enabling on-site legal representation to victims of intimate partner violence seeking court protection.

Discretionary funds are available for a number of innovative programs, including statewide lethality assessment training and fatality review teams as well as support of local coordinating councils and state coalitions

In the continuing effort to put an end to these tragedies, the O’Malley-Brown Administration led efforts to pass two bills during the 2009 legislative session that increase protection for Maryland’s victims of domestic violence and remove guns from the hands of abusers. The new legislation went into effect October 1, 2009.