West Haven Tragedy Puts Focus on Domestic Violence

In the wake of a murder-suicide last week in West Haven, state and local officials are taking a closer look at domestic violence laws and what, if anything, should be done to try and prevent crimes like that from happening.

On Jan. 17, Selami Ozdemir, 42, shot his wife, Shengyl Rasimon, 25, and then turned a gun on himself, according to police. The shooting happened just hours after Ozdemir was arrested for the second time in four months on domestic violence charges.  

Ozdemir had been posted $25,000 bail and returned to his home, violating orders to stay away from his wife, police said.

Members of a so-called violence task force will convene on Monday morning to review this case and others to see if a change in domestic violence laws could prevent similar incidents. The task force will meet Monday at 10 a.m. in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

Police on the local level are also working to curb domestic violence incidents. 

The Hartford Police Department has started a new domestic violence unit that will begin training this week and should start work by early February, according to the Hartford Courant.

Hartford Police Chief Daryl Roberts decided to start the program after noticing a disturbing trend within the department's anti-truancy program, which was started in 2006.

"We found that some of the young people didn't want to go back home because of the domestic violence that was going on there," Roberts told the Courant.

In a report on the city's safety delivered on Jan. 11, Roberts said 32.4 percent of all aggravated assaults in Hartford were domestic violence-related.

The new unit will have a sergeant and two detectives, who will investigate domestic violence cases full-time. The team will work in conjunction with the chief state's attorney's office to track repeat offenders and help match families with advocacy services.

"We're going to follow up," Roberts told the Courant. That means keeping in touch with victims — and offenders — and checking to see if people are complying with restraining orders. "We want to make sure the victim knows she's not alone," Roberts said.

Interval House, which provides services to victims of domestic violence, has helped Hartford Police develop the unit. Jennifer Lopez,  director of the advocacy program for Interval House, stresses the importance of continued communication with victims.

"It's important that it takes the responsibility [of following up with authorities] away from the victim," Lopez told the Courant, "and it will deter him from retaliation."

Providing outreach and counseling for the offender could also help break the cycle of domestic violence, Lopez said.

Roberts hopes the number of domestic violence incidents decreases in 2010, but he is also hoping that long-term, fewer children are exposed to domestic violence and that means they are less likely to become offenders themselves, according to the Courant.

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