Training improves initiatives vs sexual violence in NMI

Department of Public Safety officers from Saipan, Rota and Tinian, along with other partnering agencies, such as Commonwealth Bureau of Investigation, Board of Parole, Division of Youth Services, Division of Customs, Family Violence Task Force, Community Guidance Center, Revenue and Tax, Commonwealth Ports Authority, and Office of Attorney General underwent a three-day extensive training called Sexual Assault Response and Investigations Training from Dec. 10 to 12, 2013, at the Pacific Islands Club. The purpose of the training was to help improve the response to victims of sexual violence and to build stronger cases to hold offenders accountable.

The training was a collaborative effort between with the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women Office, Alliance of Local Services Organization, International Association of Chief of Police, Criminal Justice Planning Agency, Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Office of Attorney General, and Department of Public Safety.

The training focused on increasing the quality of cases/investigations by understanding sexual violence and victim trauma; improving evidence recognition, collection, and preservation; implementing best practices for interviewing survivors of sexual violence; improving report writing and documentation of investigations to help support prosecution of cases; and enhancing overall awareness of the impact of culture and issues regarding sexual violence facing the CNMI.

The presenter for this event was Tom Tremblay from the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Tremblay is a 30-year law enforcement veteran and retired chief of police from Burlington, Vermont. He is a national law enforcement consultant and trainer specializing in domestic and sexual violence response and investigations. Tremblay also serves as a faculty member for the International Association of Chiefs of Police Leadership Initiative on Violence Against Women Crimes (domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking). This is the second training of this kind that Tremblay has held on Saipan.

Other presenters for the training were Maisie B. Tenorio, executive director for the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, and assistant attorney general Cinta Kaipat. [B][I](DPS)[/I][/B]