LYNNWOOD – Domestic violence victims in Lynnwood have a new person to turn to for help.
Megan Sweeney has been hired as a domestic violence coordinator – a new position for the city police department.
“Megan is going to fill in the missing piece to try to get people help,” Deputy Chief Karen Manser said. “The goal is to stop the cycle of the constant reoffending.”
Lynnwood once had a domestic violence advocate, who worked exclusively with victims.
Sweeney’s role extends beyond that, Manser said. She will work closely with detectives and prosecutors along with the victims.
“This is important in bringing good cases to court and getting convictions,” Sweeney said.
She meets with victims after the initial incident to get additional information about abuse or take photographs of injuries. She also works with detectives to keep track of ongoing problems in a household.
Before coming to Lynnwood, Sweeney worked as a domestic violence advocate with the Albuquerque Police Department in New Mexico.
Sweeney has been with Lynnwood since June. In those four months, she’s worked with 141 victims, not including children affected by domestic violence incidents.
Her goal is to contact victims immediately after they’ve reported being abused. She directs them to resources such as legal services, emergency shelters and counseling.
“I believe there is a higher conviction rate and decreased recidivism with early intervention,” she said.
Eventually, Sweeney hopes to recruit volunteers who want to work with domestic violence victims to act as advocates.
Sweeney also works in Edmonds one day a week. The two departments share the resources.
“We need someone to walk (the victims) through the system so they don’t feel lost and alone,” Edmonds Sgt. Jeff Jones said.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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