Spring 2023

NOTE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

I’m reaching out today to share an update on the Geiger Institute, our national initiative to end domestic violence homicide. Since formally launching the Institute in June, we have made great strides with your support and the support of our community partners. With the initial funds raised to launch the Institute, we were able to:

Make new hires to expand and strengthen the Geiger Institute team and advance our nationwide homicide reduction work;

Begin development of a new technology solution that will support communities to swiftly respond to changes in risk, develop data-driven strategies to improve victim outcomes, and provide ongoing learning opportunities for our partners;

Build key partnerships that help us test our scaling strategies and advance our work to increase pathways to safety for those who are most marginalized.

We truly could not have advanced this without you and for that, I thank you.

I invite you to take a look at this newsletter to learn about where we are with our progress. Also, stay tuned for more about an informational evening event in Boston in the next couple of months. We’ll be sharing updates on the next phase of our work and our strategy to raise the final funds necessary to realize our goals.

To learn more or follow our progress, please visit our website at geigerinstitute.org and follow our social pages for news and updates.

In gratitude,

Suzanne Dubus

Chief Executive Officer

New Technology

Innovations

Critical to the success of the rollout of Geiger Institute’s effort to help communities prevent intimate partner homicides, is the development of a new solution that will improve outcomes through technology with case management, data analytics and online learning to increase and improve communications and save lives.

The team has been working on defining this new solution and seeking valuable feedback from communities and partners.

This includes a locally-driven expansion effort in locations that have previously demonstrated successful implementation, to determine what is most helpful to include in this new product.

Tentatively, it will be called IMPACT: Improving Measurement, Processes and Collaboration through Technology.

Where We Are

In 2022, we provided over 350 technical assistance consultations to over 40 communities on the DVHRT and DA-LE Models and associated homicide reduction strategies.

42 police departments across 8 states have implemented the Danger Assessment for Law Enforcement (DA-LE).

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Hiring Update

The Geiger Institute is pleased to announce three new hires to strengthen its team and advance our nationwide homicide reduction work.

We invite you to take a moment and meet our newest team members:

Philip Schwartz

Philip Schwartz is Chief Technology Officer at Geiger Institute.

Phil is a recently retired senior technology professional.

During his career, Phil has held numerous executive positions ranging from Chief Data Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Global Architect and First Vice President of Data Management.

Jazmin Steele

Jazz Steele is a Project Specialist for the Geiger Institute and collaborates with community partners in the mission to prevent domestic violence homicides.

Before joining the Institute, Jazz worked as an advocate sharing her own survivor story in women’s prisons, college campuses, and community events across the country. She has managed nonprofit women’s programs and organized various fundraisers, including those focused on domestic violence victims.

Timothy Boehnlein

Tim is a consultant in the Technical Assistance Initiative to Reduce Domestic Violence Homicide in Ohio, a Geiger Institute project in partnership with KeyBank.

Tim has over 29 years of experience in assessment of perpetrators of domestic violence, facilitating batterer intervention groups, counseling domestic violence and stalking offenders, and diagnostic assessments.

Click here to read more about all of our team members

News & Events

Geiger Institute to Present at 18th Annual Conference on Crimes Against Women in Dallas, Texas, May 22-25, 2023

The Conference on Crimes Against Women (CCAW) is the national clearinghouse of best practices for law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys, advocates, medical professionals, emergency telecommunicators, probation and parole officers, and others who work in the area of crimes against women. Recognizing that these crimes are unique in nature, CCAW provides the most up-to-date, relevant, and effective training and techniques that exist to battle this epidemic.

Members of the Geiger Institute will be presenting on:

IF IT’S PREDICTABLE, IT’S PREVENTABLE: THE DANGER ASSESSMENT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

Research has shown that the escalation of domestic violence to a lethal level follows an identifiable pattern with identifiable indicators. The Danger Assessment for Law Enforcement (DA-LE) is an 11-question, evidence-based risk assessment instrument that identifies victims at the highest risk of intimate partner homicide (IPH) and near-lethal assault.

As many law enforcement agencies across the country begin to adopt the best practice of using evidence-based risk assessment to identify our most dangerous cases, this workshop will provide an overview of the DA-LE and attendees will learn how it has helped countless communities improve their response to intimate partner homicide prevention.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HIGH RISK TEAM MODEL

The Domestic Violence High Risk Team (DVHRT) Model is a nationally recognized domestic violence homicide prevention framework, identified by the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) as a “leading promising practice in the field.”

With a goal of preventing intimate partner homicides (IPH) and near-lethal assaults, the Model has been successfully replicated in a variety of jurisdictions across the country. The Model has had significant growth across communities and many lessons have been learned. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the Model and how it can impact their response to intimate partner homicide prevention.

To learn more about CCAW, click here.

Partnerships to Advance Geiger Institute

Technical Assistance Initiative to Reduce Domestic Violence

Homicide in Ohio

The Geiger Institute partners with communities to implement proven homicide reduction strategies, develop new solutions, and evaluate effectiveness. Through these collaborative partnerships, we create pathways to safety for those most at risk of fatal intimate partner violence.

Over the past two years, there has been a 62% increase in domestic violence homicides across the state of Ohio.

With funding from KeyBank Foundation, training and technical assistance will be available to targeted communities in Ohio to implement two proven homicide reduction strategies.

Cuyahoga County began implementing these strategies in 2016 as part of the National Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Demonstration Initiative.

Learn more about our partnership with KeyBank.

Largest DA-LE

Implementation to-date

Team members from Geiger Institute have begun implementation of the Danger Assessment for Law Enforcement (DA-LE) in the San Antonio Police Department.

San Antonio is the seventh largest and most populous city in the United States with over 1,500 sworn officers.

This is the team’s largest police department to adopt the DA-LE. In comparison, our previous largest roll-out prior to San Antonio was in Cleveland which has 380 sworn officers; this is a 294% increase.

This partnership is part of a research study funded by the Arnold Foundation. Dr. Jill Messing, MSW, PhD of Arizona State University School of Social Work is the lead researcher on this multi-year project.

The implementation will commence in one substation in San Antonio Police Department before the wider roll-out.

Join Us

Research shows that most domestic violence homicides are predictable; and if they are predictable, they are preventable.

To learn more about how you can help bring this model to communities throughout the country, reach out. We are here and can't wait to connect with you!

Investment Opportunities

Charitable support funds a significant portion of our work and is critical to the success of ending domestic violence homicide.

We are looking for investors who are interested in the future of safer communities and helping us to expand our reach and provide communities with tools to save lives.

We have many different opportunities for philanthropic support which can be offered in a variety of ways, including:

Supporting our scaling strategies;
Expanding our technology solutions;
Funding communities to implement homicide reduction strategies.

Thank you for your support and partnership. You are a critical part of this solution!

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