Domestic Violence In the News

Hi-Tech Stalking Devices Extend Abusers' Reach
As Sherri Peak ran errands in suburban Seattle, she often saw her estranged husband in the rearview mirror of her Toyota Land Cruiser. Robert M. Peak showed up at her Bellevue business, at restaurants, at shops in downtown Seattle, and at the homes of co-workers.

The couple separated in July 2005, as Sherri Peak sought to escape what she describes as her husband's controlling behavior.

According to her claims during a subsequent criminal investigation, by August, he was phoning Sherri Peak's co-workers repeatedly to find out where she was. She was being stalked, a pattern of behavior that is linked to a higher risk for homicide. In October, terrified, she filed for a protective order to keep him away.
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State Holds Conference on Hispanic Domestic Violence
Ind.- More than 200 people from throughout Indiana attended the first statewide conference on domestic violence in the Hispanic community.

The one-day event Thursday, sponsored by the Indianapolis-based Latino Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence at the Radisson Hotel Downtown, was designed to bring awareness to what organizers say is a growing problem.
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Sheriff’s Office Attacks Domestic Violence Problem
Fla. - The county Sheriff’s Office is taking an aggressive role to end domestic violence through education.

That’s not to say that deputies are not arresting abusers. They have the power to jail anyone who beats a wife, husband, child, live-in companion or same-sex partner.

Deputy James Butterfield of the domestic violence investigations unit recently addressed about 100 soldiers stationed at the C.W. Bill Young Armed Forces Reserve Center in Pinellas Park. Sgt. Richard Nalven spoke on drug and alcohol abuse.
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Report on Domestic Violence Prompts Call For More Social Services
Cal. - A federally funded report of domestic violence cases in San Francisco found that most incidents either go unreported to authorities or are not documented in police reports.

The study by a non-profit ETR Associates, as detailed in the San Francisco Chronicle, found that more than 50 incidents of domestic violence that take place in the city each day involve children.

The health and research company’s study found that fewer than half the reported cases are prosecuted, a finding disputed by the district attorney’s office.
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