The Aiken Department of Public Safety was awarded this week a grant dedicated to the hiring of a domestic violence investigator.
Public Safety Chief Charles Barranco made the announcement Monday at City's Council meeting.
The more than $88,000 grant, with a 10- percent local match, is funded through the South Carolina Justice Assistance Grant, or JAG, program.
In a memo to Council, Barranco said, "Through our Safe Communities Initiative, we have identified that many of our offenders have domestic violence issues in their families. It is felt that having a dedicated investigator to work with the offenders – and by referring them to support agencies – would help reduce occurrences of domestic violence."
Last year, 47 South Carolinians were killed by their partners – 35 female and 12 male, according to the South Carolina Attorney General's Office. In Aiken County last year, four people were killed by their partners – three women and one man.
Nationally, more than 1,600 women were murdered by men in 2014, and the most common weapon used was a gun, according to the most recent figures in a study provided by the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C. The study was called "When Men Murder Women."
South Carolina has repeatedly been ranked among the top five states for women who are murdered by men. The latest report drops the state to fifth, with a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 people in 2014, a drop from 2013 where 2.32 women were killed per 100,000 people.
Out of 43 female homicide victims in the state in 2014, 25 were white and 18 were black, the report states. Sixty-three percent of female victims were shot and killed by guns, and of that number 71 percent were killed with handguns.
According to the report, nationally, compared to a man, a woman is far more likely to be killed by her spouse, an intimate acquaintance or a female member rather than by a stranger. For homicides in which the victim could be identified, the report states 93 percent of female victims were murdered by someone they knew.
The grant awarded to Public Safety received the support of the Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons and the Aiken County Solicitor's Office.
Susan Seldon, director of the Cumbee Center, said the new position is much needed and will help raise domestic violence awareness among other Public Safety officers.
"This investigator will have in-depth training in the new domestic violence laws as well as an understanding of the traumatic impact that domestic abuse has on a victim," she said. "Specialized trauma-informed training will aid the investigator in recognizing signs of violence that most law enforcement may not perceive due to victims' fear of speaking out or lack of obvious physical bruising."
Seldon said the Cumbee Center sheltered at least 180 women and children locally since last year.
"We have served another 600 more clients in our Aiken, Barnwell and Edgefield offices, and have assisted 96 clients with orders of protection," she said.
Barranco said Monday the new investigator will also provide training to other officers so as to help them handle potential domestic violence situations.
The grant is renewable for up to three years, and includes funding for salary and benefits, training and a vehicle.
"The investigator would be solely dedicated to domestic violence incidents and initiatives," Barranco said. "And would partner with our community service organizations to help reduce recidivism."
In 2015, South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault’s domestic violence member organizations across the state provided shelter to 2,769 individuals. Those organizations also provided non-shelter services, including counseling, court advocacy and support services to 19,414 individuals and answered more than 18,740 hotline calls.
