Children
Upon taking office, D.A. Blodgett created the Family Crimes and Sexual Assault Unit. This Unit is made up of Assistant District Attorneys, Victim-Witness Advocates, forensic interviewers and police investigators. The Unit is dedicated to providing specialized investigative approaches, prosecution strategies and victim-witness services for crimes involving sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse and disabled persons abuse.
This approach is especially important in cases of child abuse. Children who have been traumatized by abuse are
interviewed in the D.A.‘s Office using a team approach with all parties – police, prosecutors, Department of Children and Families and others – present and observing a single interview conducted by a trained forensic interviewer. In this way, the child is not re-traumatized by undergoing multiple interviews.
Shortly after taking office, D.A. Blodgett responded to a series of attempted lurings of young people by Internet predators by developing a parent education program on Internet safety and creating a Computer Facilitated Crimes Unit. This Unit investigates all computer-related crimes, and has handled hundreds of cases, most of which involve child pornography and luring.
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence was identified by police chiefs in every community in Essex County as one of the top crimes, according to a survey conducted by the District Attorney’s Community Awareness and Prevention team in 2003. In his 8 years as District Attorney, D.A. Blodgett has made domestic violence a top priority.
He filed legislation, which was signed by the Governor in 2009, to allow prosecutors to pursue felony charges for repeat batterers.
His staff has created or participated in seven community roundtables throughout the county to address the problem of domestic violence. These community roundtables bring together key agencies such as Department of Children and Families, the Essex County Sheriff’s Department and elder protective services, as well as local schools, police and concerned citizens to find ways to educate the community about domestic violence and to make victims aware of the services that are available to them.
He has worked with domestic violence advocacy groups (HAWC and Jeanne Geiger Women’s Crisis Center) to create High Risk Assessment Teams in five district court jurisdictions. Following a murder/suicide in Newburyport in 2002, the Jeanne Geiger Women’s Crisis Center adopted a model approach to addressing domestic homicides. This model – the High Risk Assessment Team – allows police, probation, batterer’s intervention program, the District Attorney and the domestic violence agency to identify high risk cases and determine specific ways to keep the victim safe and hold the batterer more accountable. In addition to Newburyport, there are high risk teams in Lynn, Salem, Peabody and Cape Ann.
The District Attorney hosts an annual breakfast with all domestic violence agencies and service providers, to encourage collaboration and communication among them.
He has offered training on domestic violence and teen dating violence to police, schools, clergy, and employers.
In 2007, HAWC recognized D.A. Blodgett for his hard work with their Community Award stating,
“Blodgett has consistently addressed the issue of domestic violence with local schools, the faith community and the business community. His office regularly offers trainings to law enforcement to better facilitate the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence crimes.”
D.A. Blodgett accepted the award not as an individual but on behalf of his entire staff. “I gratefully accept this award and pledge to continue to do all I can to confront domestic violence.”
Senior Citizens
D.A. Blodgett has developed and participated in several programs to protect senior citizens from abuse, scams, identity theft and other crimes. Together with the Essex County Sheriff’s Department, the District Attorney’s Office participates in TRIAD, a national program designed to enhance senior safety. Each month, staff members meet with local TRIAD councils in nearly every city and town in Essex County. These local councils develop programs to help increase the safety of their fellow senior citizens. Staff from the D.A.’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department provide assistance to these councils in developing and implementing these programs.
The District Attorney’s Office also participates in the Elder Justice Network, which is a collaboration of senior citizen service agencies, to address the growing problem of elder abuse. The D.A.’s Office has staged mock trials throughout the county to familiarize seniors with the criminal justice system, and encourage them to come forward when they are victimized.
