Grant Will Fund Melrose Police Domestic Violence Officer Position

A $125K federal grant awarded to the Melrose Police Department will allow the department to reinstate its domestic violence officer position.

Melrose Police and the Melrose Alliance Against Violence (MAAV) partnered in applying for the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program, the city announced in a press release.

Detective Pam Daye previously served as the department's domestic violence officer until a state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security grant that funded the position ran out, Melrose Police Chief Mike Lyle said, although she continued to serve as the department's go-to person after that grant ran out.

The federal grant will allow the department to post for a new position in the detective bureau, Lyle said, with the domestic violence officer serving as a liaison between the Melrose Police Department and MAAV in promoting support for victims of domestic violence, along with education and prevention programs.

The $125,252 grant should fund the position for approximately one year, the chief added.

"What’s good about this grant is we can reapply every year for additional funding, which is very good," Lyle said. "We heard from state officials that it was the best grant that they received ... that’s a credit that to everybody that was involved."

When a Melrose resident is involved in a domestic violence incident and reports it to either the police or MAAV, Lyle said, an investigation is opened and if the victim seeks support measures or to pursue criminal charges, the domestic violence officer assists them in navigating the legal system. Among the resources tapped beyond MAAV are advocates in the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.

"We’re basically the vehicle that would assist them in acquiring services," Lyle said. "We would certainly be there to help them right through the whole process. That’s probably the number one focus. A lot of folks involved in domestic violence are very, very reluctant to come forward. This city’s very fortunate to have Pam Daye. She’s helped out many a family and many a victim."

While the domestic violence officer's focus would be on domestic violence, he or she would still be available to assist the detective bureau in following up on other cases as well, Lyle said.

MAAV Executive Director Rebecca Mooney said that previously Daye would join her in meetings with those seeking assistance with domestic violence issues, bringing the law enforcement resources to the table in addition to MAAV's resources.

"I think it’s a really huge asset to the community to have a detective solely assigned to domestic violence," Mooney said. "It allows her to follow up with every victim, provide support services, support around restraining orders and really be the go-to person for the department. She also educates other officers on issues and works a lot of with our programs, not only working directly with victims but being part of community awareness events."

Examples of community awareness events are a book discussion group held at the Melrose Public Library on a book called A Private Family Matter by Victor Rivers, and the annual assembly for Melrose High School seniors each March on sexual assault. Mooney said having a dedicated domestic violence officer at those events gives attendees someone to speak to about any issues they may be facing.

"For us, (the grant) means funding the core mission of what we do—community awareness, education and prevention, and support for victims," Mooney said. "We have many, many resources. That’s really what we do here. We look at ourselves as reaching out to the community getting people to come forward, and connecting them with the appropriate resources. The grant is really about the community collaborativion which we’ve done for 16 years."