Thurston County encouraging all residents to report domestic violence cases

Survivors in our community need our help; more importantly, our community members need to educate themselves on how they can commit to ending violence.”

Thurston’s Prosecutor’s Office Lead Attorney on Domestic Violence Jennifer Lord

The Thurston Board of County Commissioner (BOCC) officially proclaimed the month of October as Domestic Violence Month, encouraging all residents to report domestic violence cases.

The board also recognized that education and awareness of the “devastating consequences of domestic violence” for the survivor and the community are necessary to end the cycle of violence.

“[The BOCC] supports the efforts to promote the safety of victims and others through an increased focus on county-wide cooperative strategies and public awareness,” the proclamation read.

Jennifer Lord, the lead attorney on domestic violence of Thurston’s Prosecutor’s office, said “intimate partner” violence is everywhere and affects all human beings regardless of ethnicity, gender, and age.

“Intimate partner violence erodes the cornerstones and the foundations of our community,” said Lord. “Survivors in our community need our help, more importantly, our community members need to educate themselves on how they can commit to ending violence.”

Lord said the Sheriff’s Office already received 1,499 calls related to domestic violence; this number only covers the county, not including other jurisdictions. The prosecuting attorney also reported that the Victims’ Advocate group serviced 1,335 victims of violent crime this year.

Currently, the five prosecutors working on domestic violence-related cases handle 223.6 cases per person.

“Our duty is to seek justice not just for the survivors of these crimes but to also ensure justice as best we can for the perpetrators of these crimes,” Lord said. “We don't seek just accountability, we seek as an office to try to ensure intervention into this behavior.”

Lord also called for creation of better resources to support survivors of such crimes, adding that “there's very little in our community financially to support survivors of intimate partner violence.”

The community can support groups like Family Support Center and Safe Place with volunteerism and donations, the prosecutor said.

Commissioner Carolina Mejia echoed Lord’s sentiments on violence as a learned behavior, adding, “the sooner that it's stopped and awareness is created, you can really stop this generational trauma from taking place over and over again.”

Community members can report domestic violence cases to the Family Support Center or the SafePlace 24/7 hotline at 360-754-6300.