DuPage County Creates Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team

WHEATON - DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin proudly announced today the formation of DuPage County’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team within the 18th Judicial Circuit.

The Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team is a countywide, multi‑agency network tasked with examining domestic violence related deaths in an effort to reduce incidents of domestic violence, improve prevention and intervention efforts and promote outreach strategies statewide.

“With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are all reminded that domestic violence affects us all and is not confined to a behind-closed-doors cycle of violence, leaving victims to suffer in silence,” Berlin said.

Comprised of a multidisciplinary group of experienced professionals with diverse backgrounds, expertise and perspectives, the team will examine domestic violence fatality and near‑fatality cases. As part of their analysis, the team will reconstruct the events, interventions, and responses leading to the victim’s or offender’s death and identify any potential missed warning signs, risk factors or missed intervention opportunities that may have contributed to a reduction of the victim’s safety. Following their analysis, the team will then make recommendations for statewide policies, practices, and prevention improvements.

“Domestic violence affects us all and has no place in our homes or communities,” Berlin continued. “We must stand with and support survivors of domestic violence and empower them to find the courage to escape the cycle of abuse. The creation of this Review Team is a critical step in creating safer communities and protecting survivors of domestic violence.”

The Review Team will include volunteer members from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s, Coroner’s, Public Defender’s and Probation Offices, officers with the West Chicago, Wheaton and Willowbrook Police Departments, as well as advocates from Family Shelter Service of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage, the Center for Advancing Domestic Peace, the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services, Document the Abuse and the DuPage Family Center.

“I offer heartfelt thanks to all our volunteers who are generously donating their time and talents to help break this cycle of abuse. I especially want to thank Tessa Kuipers, Project Director of the statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review initiative for her work in guiding this project forward. It is our shared goal that this important work will prevent future domestic violence fatalities and near‑fatalities, reduce the severity and frequency of domestic abuse, and improve coordinated community and professional services responses,” Berlin concluded.

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