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For Immediate Release: September 23, 2014
Contact: Johnny Koremenos 262.955.8981

SCHIMELS PLAN TO COMBAT VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN INCLUDES FOCUS ON COLLEGE
CAMPUSES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Law Enforcements Choice for Attorney General Unveils Detailed Agenda at
UW-La Crosse

[LA CROSSE, WI] Fresh off the heels of receiving an endorsement from the largest law enforcement
union in Wisconsin, Brad Schimel unveiled his plans to combat violence against women during a stop at
the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse on Tuesday.

Violence against women is pervasive in our society, its not just high profile athletes getting caught by
hotel video cameras, Schimel said. We must prevent, confront and combat violence against women in
every community, from Holmen to Hubertus and everywhere in between.

Schimel will partner with local law enforcement to increase and improve training, facilitate cooperation
with victim advocates, and focus not only on prosecution, but prevention as well.

The story of the alleged druggings at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee this month is every
parents nightmare, said Schimel. Multiple victims were rushed to the hospital and may have been
dosed with a date rape drug while at a party this problem is real, we cant ignore it.

The Schimel plan includes a focus on campus safety, date rape and domestic violence.

"If we focus and work together, we can leverage existing resources and be smarter about our efforts to
combat violence against women, "said Schimel, the Waukesha County District Attorney. "But where
tougher laws or new resources are necessary, I will be there, leading to put public safety ahead of
politics."

Schimel's plan includes a focus on public safety on college campuses. As attorney general, Schimel will
create and chair a task force of students, administrators and law enforcement who will make Wisconsin's
campuses safer. But he's not waiting for that panel to convene before recommending the following steps:

The human body eliminates date rape drugs from blood and urine often before the victim regains
awareness to recognize what has happened to them, so preserving the evidence in a timely manner is
essential," said Schimel. "In addition to providing rape kits free of charge to victim service providers, the
Department of Justice will provide student health services at universities and colleges with date rape drug
test kits."

-more-

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SCHIMEL September 23, 2014
ADD ONE

Schimel will also commit the Crime Lab to prioritize the processing of blood and urine samples from
victims in cases where date rape drugs are suspected to be involved to assist law enforcement in focusing
their investigation. Schimel will also advocate for a Good Samaritan law that will leave victims and
potential witnesses willing to come forward with information, without fear of facing charges for minor
drug or alcohol possession offenses.

Among the many other items in Schimels detailed plans:

Expansion of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program statewide. There are 37
SANE locations statewide currently, but all counties need to have access to these valuable
resources. Right now, law enforcement escorts the victim to the nearest SANE specialist, which is
sometimes hours away.
Expansion of training for local law enforcement, including updating training materials and the
creation of a sensitive crimes certification for law enforcement officers.
Advocate for a new Temporary Restraining Order Protocol that requires the clerk of courts to
forward the information directly to the sheriffs department and lessen the burden on the victim.
Under current law, the sheriff is also not required to notify the victim when service of the
temporary restraining order has been accomplished. As part of Brad Schimels temporary
restraining order protocol reform, law enforcement will be required to immediately notify a
victim that service has been accomplished and assist the victim in implementing a safety plan.

"Brad Schimel continues to put forth detailed plans to combat the major public safety issues facing
Wisconsin, while his opponent's campaign is idle -- mired in controversy," said Johnny Koremenos,
Schimel campaign manager. "Brad Schimel has a lifelong track record of advocacy for victims that has
been honored by victims' rights groups and today's announcement is just one more example of Brad
Schimel taking the lead when it matters most."

Republican Brad Schimel now has 89 law enforcement leaders backing his campaign for Attorney
General, including nine elected Democratic sheriffs and district attorneys

He is leading the way in the race for attorney general, relying on his life as a front line prosecutor to
develop plans to tackle the major public safety issues facing Wisconsin like Internet crimes against
children, the heroin epidemic, and the scourge of human trafficking.

Schimel is also endorsed by current Attorney General JB Van Hollen, the Wisconsin Professional Police
Association, the Wisconsin Troopers Association, the Milwaukee Police Association, and the Wisconsin
Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police.

--30--

The Schimel Plan to Combat Violence Against Women is attached.


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BradSchimel.com
www.BradSchimel.com
Paid for by Schimel for Attorney General, Don Taylor, Treasurer




Brad Schimels Plan to Combat Violence Against Women

The Wisconsin Department of Justice receives more than $2 million every year from the federal government in the
form of Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants. Brad Schimel will use these resources to combat violence
against women and provide resources to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. Brad Schimel will continue
the Wisconsin Department of Justices Office of Crime Victim Services innovative steps that have been taken to
provide sexual assault kits at no cost to victim service providers and to ensure there are no costs to victims for sexual
assault examinations, and will continue to commit the Crime Lab to a 24-hour turnaround time for the processing of
kits from stranger sexual assaults. Schimel will partner with local law enforcement to increase and improve training,
facilitate cooperation with victim advocates, and focus not only on prosecution, but prevention as well.

As Attorney General, Brad Schimel will implement the following initiatives to address sexual assault:
Sexual assault on college campuses
o In addition to providing rape kits free of charge to victim service providers, the Department of
Justice will provide student health services at universities and colleges with date rape drug test kits
! The human body eliminates date rape drugs from blood and urine often before the victim
regains awareness to recognize what has happened to them, so preserving the evidence in
a timely manner is essential
o Commit the Crime Lab to prioritize the processing of blood and urine samples from victims in
cases where date rape drugs are suspected to be involved to assist law enforcement in focusing
their investigation
o Advocate for a Good Samaritan law that will leave victims and potential witnesses willing to come
forward with information, without fear of facing charges for minor drug or alcohol possession
offenses
o Create and chair a college sexual assault task force of students, university administrators, and law
enforcement
o Work with Department of Public Instruction to encourage school districts to educate high school
and middle school students and teachers on safe and healthy relationships, and the warning signs
of potentially dangerous relationships
o Create Public Service Announcements designed to help high school and college students
recognize the warning signs of potentially dangerous relationship behaviors

Training for law enforcement
o Create a sensitive crimes certification within law enforcement
! Law enforcement officers attain this certification through completion of specialized DOJ-
sponsored training
! Officers must complete periodic re-certification to maintain the status
! Officers who have received this specialized training can serve as an expert for these types
of cases when they arise in their jurisdiction
o Establish peer review networks for sensitive crimes investigators to refine and grow their skills
and maintain their expertise
o Advocate for legislation that will clearly permit criminal justice officials to keep victim identity
information confidential in public documents filed with the court and encourage law enforcement
to officers and prosecutors to take such steps as using a pseudonym to identify a victim
o Utilize the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Network (Wilenet) to provide webinars and stream video
files for regular refreshers and best practice updates to law enforcement
o Develop and maintain a District Attorney section of the Wilenet site to provide training and
resources for prosecutors on domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. This would be in
addition to a number of other topics including Len Bias cases, human trafficking, etc.


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Paid for by Schimel for Attorney General, Don Taylor, Treasurer




o The VAWA grant contains funding for 12 Domestic Violence training events for law enforcement,
prosecutors, and the advocate community around the state. Each event can be conducted to
develop one aspect of the system or be a joint training among all partners, emphasizing the multi-
disciplinary approach to investigation, prosecution, and victim support and recovery. In addition to
the basic curriculum, emphasis will be placed on ensuring law enforcement and prosecutors know:
! Reasons victims are reluctant to report acts of violence
! How to help victims develop safety plans and utilize available resources to escape from
violent environments
! How to help victims understand financial assistance available through the Crime Victim
Compensation Fund
! The role each team member plays in a comprehensive/ multi-disciplinary response to acts
of domestic violence. (Breaking down the silos)

Expand Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program statewide
There are 37 SANE locations statewide currently, but all counties need to have access to these valuable
resources. Right now, law enforcement escorts the victim to the nearest SANE specialist, which is
sometimes hours away. The process needs to be more victim centered, allowing victims of sexual assault
the resources and compassion needed to find justice and heal. Brad Schimel will:
o Hire a Statewide SANE Coordinator
! This position would be housed in the Office of Crime Victim Services and coordinate
training with the Division of Law Enforcement Services. This person would be
responsible for coordinating the training of SANE nurses as is currently done within
OCVS and have an annual conference to maintain the skill sets of the SANE nurses.
o Authorize the Office of Crime Victim Services to contract with local nurses to be a part of the
SANE program, so sexual assault victims can get a victim sensitive professional forensic
examination by a highly trained SANE specialist. The SANE specialist will travel to where the
victim is located, which allows law enforcement to stay within their jurisdiction and begin the
investigation, as well as keep the victim safe, comfortable, and as close to home as possible.
o Brad Schimel will create a 24-hour victim hotline staffed by a highly trained victim advocate, to
give victims an outlet to report a sexual assault, to get answers to questions, explore options, and
connect to resources that can help the victim immediately. The hotline will also serve to answer
questions and provide guidance for practitioners in the field who may not be at the same level of
forensic training.

Expand Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Teams
o Encourage and support law enforcement, victim advocates, social services, and prosecutors in
every county and region to create their own Sexual Assault Response Teams.
o Host a multi-disciplinary conference to encourage and teach how SART teams can and should be
established.

Domestic Violence
Train law enforcement and pursue legislation to require the mandatory reporting of victim contact
information to domestic abuse service providers, so trained victim advocates can follow up to ensure the
safety of the victim.
Develop and encourage a statewide Lethality Assessment Program for domestic violence (similar to the
Maryland Model), which can be utilized by law enforcement, prosecutors, and community service
providers. Milwaukee County is working on the pilot project at this time, which was assisted with federal
grant funds. This multi-disciplinary project will help train and identify behaviors and events that indicate a
victim is at high-risk for serious injury or death from an intimate partner. This tool will be utilized by law
enforcement, prosecutors, and community service providers for intensive interventions on behalf of the
victim.

Law Enforcements Choice
BradSchimel.com
www.BradSchimel.com
Paid for by Schimel for Attorney General, Don Taylor, Treasurer




Wisconsin law was recently changed to require that judges presiding over a domestic abuse case be
provided information about potential impact on children in the home. This positive change in the law is yet
to be fully utilized on behalf of children who are exposed to domestic abuse. Brad Schimel will work to
train law enforcement statewide on the importance of assessing the potential effects on children who have
been exposed to or witnessed domestic violence and if necessary, connect these children with resources that
address the effects of domestic abuse on children, so the cycle of violence can end and ensure any
psychological or emotional damage caused by the childs experience is addressed.
Advocate for penalty enhancement for domestic violence acts committed in front of children.
Seek legislation to improve procedures for domestic abuse restraining orders.
o Currently, a domestic abuse victim is responsible for taking steps to make sure the sheriffs
department serves a temporary restraining order on an offender. Brad Schimel will advocate for a
new temporary restraining order protocol requiring the clerk of courts to forward the information
directly to the sheriffs department and lessen the burden on the victim.
Often the most dangerous time for a victim is immediately after the respondent has been served with a
restraining order. Under current law, the sheriff is not required to notify the victim when service of the
temporary restraining order has been accomplished. As part of Brad Schimels temporary restraining order
protocol reform, law enforcement will be required to immediately notify a victim that service has been
accomplished and assist the victim in implementing a safety plan.