Anchorage court brings together resources for domestic violence victims

The suite of offices close to the Anchorage courtroom that handles long-term domestic violence protective orders has shifted over the years, adding staff in an attempt to better respond to potential domestic violence situations and growing into a centralized hub of resources for victims.

Today, the team includes officers from the Anchorage Police Department and legal advocates from Abused Women's Aid in Crisis, or AWAIC, a nonprofit that provides shelters, intervention and resources for domestic violence victims. Both police and the nonprofit say they're in the Boney Courthouse to provide options.

"The victim is the one person who knows what's best and what's going to keep herself or himself safe," said Suzi Pearson, AWAIC executive director. It's likely that only victims know what their abusers may do if they find out about the filing of a protective order, what will happen after the abusers are served an order to appear in court, she said.

"It's not something that everyone thinks about," Pearson said. "They just assume you need to leave. You need to get a protective order, get away. That's not how that works."

But if the victim agrees to it, a protective order creates a paper trail documenting abuse and it can also trigger police involvement, Pearson said.

"This creates a lot more consequence because this is a civil order, but the minute it's violated, it becomes a criminal act," she said.

[Seeking the truth and protecting the vulnerable in Anchorage's domestic violence court]

Police officer Lisa Whitmore, stationed in the courthouse, said she has made arrests outside her office after two people have walked out of the courtroom and into the lobby.

"It happens more than you would think," she said.

Whitmore has worked within this part of the courthouse, reserved for protective orders, for two years. She shares the duty with another officer. Both dress in plainclothes. She said she most often serves as a "sounding board," listening to men and women who come in and who think they may want to file a protective order.

Sometimes, Whitmore said, she sees the same people over and over again. But she knows it's difficult to leave an abusive relationship. So she provides "the same level of service" each time and lets them know she's there to help. She said she never asks anyone about pursuing criminal charges against an abuser, but she will help if asked.

Whitmore said she's happy with the way the office works but there are always ways to improve. She would like to see it broadened to meet even more needs. Magistrate Judge Suzanne Cole too said that while she's happy with the progress the office has made, she would like to see more of the community's resources for domestic violence victims work together.

"I think sometimes we all operate in silos and we need to do a better job of combining resources and working together," she said. "Advocacy, the shelter, the police, financial resources."

Cole said that when she started at the courthouse 19 years ago, no legal advocates or police officers were stationed in the office space. People could file for protective orders 24/7 but there was no security overnight.

Now, the domestic violence office is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from noon to 8 p.m. on the weekends. She said more space has been added so people can sit in separate areas before their hearings. There are computers for looking up criminal cases and an interpreter service for people who do not speak English.

Whitmore said she appreciates having all of the resources so close. She is often answering people's questions and referring them to resources, pointing them down a short hallway in the direction of the AWAIC legal advocates.

"The likelihood of losing a victim? It's less than if you make them go from location to location and person to person and wait in line at each specific spot," she said.