In 2016, the Cottonwood Police Department applied for a grant through the Victims of Crime Act, a bill passed by Congress in 1984 aimed at helping victims of crimes.
By raising funds from fines and penalties from convicted criminals, VOCA provides opportunities for victims of crime to get help.
One of those opportunities, taken advantage of by the CPD in the grant it received in 2016, provides for the hiring of a victims advocate for cases of domestic violence and sexual assault. With the grant, CPD hired Johannah Rutschow, a former employee of the Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District.
“Traditionally in law enforcement we’ve paid most attention to the suspect and the victim’s been a secondary consideration if considered at all, just by virtue of the traditional law enforcement mission,” Cottonwood Police Chief Steve Gesell said. “As American policing has evolved we take a more holistic approach to policing in general, and are more involved than police departments were 40, 50 years ago.
“A specialist where this is their sole focus is needed to best serve our victims and this particular opportunity came our way.”
“Prior to this victim advocate position, the officers would be out on the scene, and they’d have the suspect and the victim, and particularly when there’s an arrest made, they’re focused on that suspect, which they have to be, because there’s a lot that goes into that whole process when someone is taken from the scene,” Rutschow said. “The victim is then just left there at the scene to pick up the pieces.
“They often have a lot of questions. They’re often pretty traumatized, they don’t even know what the questions are in that moment. And it’s also a small snapshot in their life where they may be open to talking about this thing that’s going on in their life, because everybody’s out here and everybody knows. There it is.”
Rutschow is not a uniformed officer, which gives her some freedom to do her job separate from law enforcement. She helps victims by being a person to talk to, by aiding them in finding counseling, and by helping to keep the criminal justice system aware of the victim’s needs. She keeps much of her discussions with victims in confidence, not sharing what she is told with uniformed officers unless the victim asks her to. And she keeps in touch with victims long after the precipitating incident, often helping them get help from shelters like the Verde Valley Sanctuary, or with the legal process if charges are pressed.
“I know it has been a huge assistance to prosecution that I handle,” said Mikkel Jordahl, the city of Cottonwood’s pros- ecutor. “In terms of communication with victims, making sure that things like restitution are met, and just building trust. It leads to more accurately understanding what victim’s need’s are. It lessens the burden of my time in terms of handling the legal aspects of things.”
“It absolutely has helped the victims and given us a better relationship with the police department,” said Jennifer Perry, marketing and development director for the Verde Valley Sanctuary. “Because she [Rutschow] is basically a first responder during any sort of domestic abuse issues, she’s really been on the front lines and has been able to advocate the services we make available to clients, whether they need shelter or outreach. She will meet people face to face, so is able to refer a lot of people to our services. It’s been a really good partnership.”
Part of the legal complexity comes from risk assessments after incidents, where the justice system must determine the likelihood of repeat violence to prosecute accordingly.
Rutschow asks the victims questions about whether there were previous incidents, whether the violence is borne out of jealousy and whether the suspect has ever tried to kill the victim.
In most police departments, these questions fall to uniformed officers, but Rutschow feels that by asking them herself, she is able to help victims get what they need.
In a small town like Cottonwood, there are not domestic violence cases every day, but Rutschow says she is called to help a victim several times a week. There were 10 cases in September, a number which Rutschow says is roughly normal for most months.
“When I was still learning about the job, it was a strange kind of draining, because you take on all this stuff, all these massive problems that you don’t hear about,” Rutschow said. “But the more I got into it, the more it felt like a blessing to be that part of someone’s life, because you’re there with them in kind of an intimate and crazy moment. You can be there in that space with them, and you can be the one to get them to the next level.”
“There’s a silver lining often to situations. Someone may be in a terrible situation, but that opens another door,” she said.
“Maybe then they’re open to counseling or they’re open to exploring other things in life that they’ve been struggling with.
“Now for the first time they’re going to get help,” Rutschow said. “Sometimes these horrible situations provide an open door to a path that they wouldn’t have seen or known about before.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
