Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price Hosts Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Expert Training Event
Oakland, CA. September 22, 2023 – The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office is spearheading an initiative to support victims and enhance the success rate of domestic violence prosecutions in the region.
September 21st, at the Oakport office, nineteen law enforcement officers from ten police agencies across Alameda County embraced the opportunity to undergo specialized and interactive training to become domestic violence law enforcement experts. This comprehensive four-hour training elevates detectives, sergeants and advanced officers in Alameda to a level of expertise that ensures their effectiveness when they are called upon to testify in court.
Currently, Alameda County relies on a single Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Expert to provide testimony in trials. Given the volume of approximately 40,000 incident reports from twenty-two arresting agencies for review by the District Attorney’s office, there is a pressing need for an expanded pool of law enforcement officers who can testify to the common behaviors of domestic violence victims, batterers, and intimate partner battering and its effects in domestic violence cases.
“This is a remarkable opportunity for our law enforcement personnel to receive specialized training from not one, but two, distinguished statewide and national domestic violence experts,” said Evanthia Pappas, Senior Assistant District Attorney and head of the Domestic Violence Unit.”
Pappas, the driving force behind the training event, has carefully crafted an agenda that incorporates mock direct and cross-examinations of law enforcement officers, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience. “This professional training opportunity is so timely and critical to our support for victims of domestic violence, particularly in the wake of several recent horrific incidents of domestic violence across our county,” said DA Price.
“Domestic violence cases are intricate, and prosecutors often require the insights of domestic violence experts to debunk the myths and misconceptions that jurors may hold about how a domestic violence victim should behave,” said Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, herself a survivor of Domestic Violence. “These specially trained law enforcement experts are assets that will enable our office to prosecute these cases more effectively, and more importantly, support domestic violence victims.”
## Contact: Public Information Officer Patti Lee, patti.lee@acgov.org // 628-249-1288
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