Woodbury County hopes grant will cut down on domestic abuse

Woodbury County is getting a federal grant to help curb domestic violence in the area. Woodbury County has Iowa’s highest rate of domestic violence. While just two percent of Iowa’s population lives in Sioux City and the surrounding area, 10 percent of the domestic abuse claims reported in Iowa come from Woodbury County. County Attorney Tom Mullin says he hopes the intensified effort to combat the problem will cut down the number of violations.The grant will pay the salaries of a county prosecutor, two sheriff’s deputies and a victim’s advocate to track batterers who’ve been released from police custody. Mullin says the project is dubbed “POET” which stands for “Protective Order Enforcement Team.” He says the word will get out and they will see less repeat offenders.Dr. Peter Conis directs the “Stop Violence Against Women” project at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. He says the Woodbury County initiative will increase the quality of life for victims of abuse.Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Executive Director Margaret Sanders says her organization will hire the victim advocate that will work directly with the sheriff and county attorney.