BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN – Municipal officials want to expand the present membership roster of the domestic violence response team, which is in its 10th year of service to the community.
Susan Cohen, who serves as president of the team, has been involved since the beginning. She said the training is thorough and the position is rewarding for people who want to help victims of domestic violence.
Cohen said men and women who are interested in becoming involved with the response team must undergo a background check before being accepted for training. Prospective volunteers must not have been involved in an incident of domestic violence during the three years prior to applying for training and appointment to the team.
Volunteers who pass the initial screening will attend 40 hours of training provided by professionals from the law enforcement community, the courts and 180, Turning Lives Around, an agency that provides services for victims of domestic violence and rape.
A member of the team is always on call and responds to police headquarters after a victim of domestic violence is brought there following an incident. Victims of domestic violence are not required to meet with a member of the domestic violence response team, but may choose to do so.
Cohen said the mission of the response team volunteers is multifaceted. She said first and foremost the volunteers provide a sympathetic ear as well as specific information that will educate the victims of domestic violence to the options available to them through the courts and the community.
She said the team provides a much-needed and much-appreciated service and all 15 volunteers are equally committed to the effort.
Two volunteers are on call each day for 12-hour shifts during which time they must be able to report to police headquarters if called.
Manalapan Police Department Lt. Glenn Essner oversees the domestic violence response team and is the coordinator of training and volunteers.
Anyone who is interested in volunteering to serve on the team may contact Essner by e-mail at [email protected] or by calling (732) 446-8390. Training for new volunteers is expected to begin in June.