Denver police, faced with 4,000 cases of domestic violence last year and the potential that the abuse could spawn a new generation of abusers, have moved 11 officers to the unit that investigates those crimes.
The 35 percent increase in staff will permit greater outreach to children, who witnessed about 20 percent of those domestic-violence incidents, police said.
“Children who have witnessed violence at home often grow up to inflict violence on others,” said David Fisher, Denver’s chief of investigations.
“This is something our community needs to rally around and put a stop to,” Fisher said.
Sunday, police conducted a sweep looking for 50 domestic-abuse fugitives in Denver. Two of the suspects are teenagers, ages 14 and 16.
“We went out in hopes we could catch them early on Sunday morning and drag them in here like the dogs they are,” Fisher said.
Seven arrests were made. The police did not release the names.
Police have also heightened victim-outreach efforts, collaborating with groups such as the Denver Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.
In addition, the department is reviewing incident reports to look for trends in reporting, arrests and convictions.
Fisher said that while numbers of domestic-violence case filings have dropped 25 percent since 2000, those numbers aren’t reliable because many incidents go unreported, especially by victims in the immigrant population.
From 2000 to 2005, 17 children across the state were killed during domestic-violence incidents.
In Denver this year, four people have been killed as a result of domestic violence.
In one case, Denver police searched a landfill for 87 days for the body of Terri Schilt. Her husband, Frank Schilt, is charged with killing her during an argument over money in February.
In August, 5-year-old Deion Santistevan was killed by his father, Elias Santistevan, who then shot himself. The incident occurred after Santistevan beat up his estranged wife.
Dora-Lee Larson, chief executive of the Denver Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, urged the public to call and report domestic violence.
“Next time you hear your neighbors screaming and yelling,” she said, “don’t close your windows; call the police.”
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
Finding help
Safehouse Denver: 303-318-9989
Gateway Battered Women’s Services, Aurora: 303-343-1851
Denver Center for Crime Victims: 303-894-8000
