Her Book of Tears: The forgotten Angels of Domestic Violence

Following the death of Nichole Simpson in 1994 Police agencies were tasked to present a plan of action to address the issue of Domestic Violence in the communities they served. New laws were enacted, domestic violence and violence against women were finally put on the forefront. Resources were made readily available for women and children in the middle class and affluent communities, but for the women and children in unrepresented poor and minority communities, all they had available were Police agencies that were too busy to address their needs. In 1996 the Atlanta Police created a pilot program called the Prevention Intervention Network, or (P.I.N). The P.I.N program was designed to address the needs of families in unrepresented communities by providing them with full-time services and aid. The P.I.N Program encountered resistance from the Police rank and file. Police brass felt like the program was a waste of resources. The program had a budget of less than a million dollars, One Officer stepped up to the challenge to represent the Atlanta Police in the P.I.N program. He was handpicked by the P.I.N program director because of the care and attention to detail in his domestic violence reports. He was assigned a few counselors that would ride with him to domestic calls. His sergeant wasn't happy about him volunteering to work with P.I.N and for his troubles he was assigned the oldest car in the Police fleet, a 1990 Crown Victoria, with barely working A/C. His Sergeant also refused to provide him with the equipment he needed to do his job such as a camera, so he purchased his own camera at a local drugstore. Despite all the resistance, nothing was going to deter him from helping the women and children who desperately needed help in the community. The sobering reality for him was during his investigations into family violence he had to follow these women into that dark abyss, going behind the veil of sexual abuse and violence that took place behind closed doors. He found himself walking with them through their private hell, He felt their fear, stress, pain, helplessness, and vulnerability. He had to stand toe to toe and fight with their devils, while wrestling with his own psychological demons. The P.I.N program services helped these women to transition from victims to survivors, giving them their power back.