Is it OK to be optimistic? Am I tempting fate with a collective pat on the back? Is it acceptable to celebrate when fewer people are getting abused?

In the criminal justice world we live by numbers. Numbers by their nature are measurable, thus we rely on them to mark progress, success or failure. Is crime going up or down; how are our conviction rates; how many people are going to jail and for how long? These are statistics we are frequently required to provide for budgeting and manpower needs.

Are numbers that telling anymore? I recall a quote that described statistics as numbers looking for a fight. And there is the famous “Figures lie and liars figure.” Regardless, something is happening in Sagadahoc County, or not happening as the case may be, that is worth sharing.

Since taking this position as Domestic Violence Investigator for the Sagadahoc County District Attorney’s Office in 2003, I have attempted to maintain accurate numbers regarding domestic violence case if for no other reason to identify trends.

I’ll be the first to acknowledge that attempting to establish trends in the world of domestic violence is like trying to predict which way a squirrel will run from the middle of the road as a car barrels towards it. Each case of domestic violence is unique to all others by the mere fact we are dealing with unique individuals in every case with causation factors unique to them.

How can you trend someone’s behavior or conduct? How can you trend alcohol or drug consumption? How can you trend a person’s mental illness? How can you trend a person’s attitude toward their partner, sibling, parent or child?

Another factor is geography. I can identify several cases where officers from Sagadahoc County made arrests for domestic violence on individuals who just happened to have been traveling through the County at the time of the event. I had one couple who fought all the way down Route 1 from Camden, but decided to pull over in Woolwich where the arrest was made. Should our numbers reflect those folks who travel to our County for the Topsham Fair or Bath Heritage Days and are involved in a domestic incident warranting an arrest?

After having investigated over 900 cases of domestic violence in this county I can say with some confidence there are predictors that one can identify with an individual or even a couple that places them at a higher risk of being involved with domestic violence. For example, I was recently handed a case where a woman was arrested and charged with domestic assault for the fifth time in the past five years, all with the same victim. If I was a betting person I doubt, I would lose any money by predicting her name will appear in an arrest report again in the future. We in the field that include advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors and counselors can only do our best at educating the public and work with those individuals already involved in hopes our collective efforts pay off with a reduction in domestic violence.

With that said, I do have some numbers to share that offer a glimmer of hope that perhaps our efforts are paying off. Using the past 10 calendar years for averaging purposes, we have experienced a 15 percent reduction in domestic violence arrests per year in Sagadahoc County over the past five years as compared to the previous five year period.

Perhaps the more significant number is the noticeable reduction in this year. For the first six months of this year we have experienced a 30 percent reduction over the recent five year average, a 36 percent decline using the ten year average and 38 percent less than the same period of a year ago.

When I share these numbers I am routinely asked what is contributing to the decline. My response is the same for what causes an increase; I have no idea. I would like to think we are making a difference or perhaps society in general is finally getting it. Domestic violence is everyone’s business and it will take everyone for this to go away. Regardless of the reasons, I am pleased and proud of the work that is getting done in Sagadahoc County on domestic violence and be assured we will not rest on our laurels and will continue our fight until there is a 100 percent reduction. Complacency equals complicity.

———

Steven Edmondson is the domestic violence investigator for the Sagadahoc County District Attorney’s Office.