The enhancing investigations and prosecution of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (EIP) encourages law enforcement agencies and/or prosecutors offices to expand and…

The enhancing investigations and prosecution of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (EIP) encourages law enforcement agencies and/or prosecutors offices to expand and improve their capacity to effectively investigate and/or prosecute domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and in so doing, support victim safety and autonomy, hold offenders accountable, and promote agency trust within the surrounding community. The EIP project by the county of winnebago, in partnership with remedies renewing lives, rockford sexual assault counseling, INC., and ywca northwestern illinois, to implement in winnebago county, IL addresses EIP purpose areas: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7. Additionally, this project addresses OVW priority area 1: access to justice. Specific activities include: 1) hire an enhanced criminal response liaison responsible for reviewing communication for inmates related to no contact orders and/or orders of protection and reviewing body camera footage for the winnebago county states attorneys domestic violence unit; 2) hire a prosecution-based investigator to coordinate and investigate criminal cases within the domestic violence unit; and 3) hire a part-time initial appearance court (IAC) prosecutor to review criminal charges related to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking and filing petitions to detain or revoke pretrial release in initial appearance court.