Crime & Safety

Domestic Violence Officer Position Expanded With Grant

The $60K grant will also allow the police department to replace a recently departed officer, the police chief said.

The Melrose Police Department has obtained a $60,000 grant that will allow the department's domestic violence officer to become a full-time position, Melrose Police Chief Mike Lyle told the Board of Aldermen last Thursday.

The STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) grant is established by the federal Violence Against Women Act. Lyle said that the domestic violence officer position, currently filled by Detective Pam Daye, has been a part-time position for the past 18 months and that it has been "a number of years" since the department last had a full-time domestic violence officer.

"We're very fortunate to get this," he said. "It's a small amount, about $160,000 given statewide and we're one of about a dozen communities receive the grant. A lot of credit goes to the Planning Department and especially (assistant city planner) Matthew Hennigan (in obtaining the grant)."

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The grant will be used strictly for salary, Lyle said, allowing Daye to undertake the domestic violence officer position full-time. In that role, Daye follows up with victims and family members involved in domestic violence situations, facilitates the obtaining of restraining orders and also works with the Melrose Alliance Against Violence (MAAV), which offers support for victims of domestic violence.

Lyle said that Daye has been "outstanding" as the department's domestic violence officer.

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Because the grant is not accounted for in next year's city budget, Lyle said his department will have a surplus that he plans to use to replace an officer who recently transferred to another department, adding that with layoffs in other local police departments, he has a "large pool" of candidates.

The aldermen's Protection and License Committee unanimously recommended accepting the grant, which will go back to the full board for a final vote at its next meeting.


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