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Groups
launch project to address domestic violence at
Fort Campbell
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WKYT/WYMT
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FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- A year-long
project aimed at curbing domestic and sexual
violence incidents at Fort Campbell is under way
and the process could attract federal funding.
Representatives from more than 30
agencies that oversee domestic and sexual
violence issues signed a Memorandum of
Understanding Tuesday to form a project called
the Military-Civilian Coordinated Community
Response Demonstration.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Turner, commander of the
101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell,
endorsed the agreement, saying that domestic
violence "can scar a community, destroy our
families and impact our readiness."
Fort Campbell is the first post to
participate in the pilot project administered
under the federal 1994 Violence Against Women
Act. The act requires all U.S. legal
jurisdictions to enforce domestic violence
orders from other districts. Two naval stations
in Jacksonville, Fla., recently have launched a
similar project.
Fort Campbell was criticized by now
retired Christian County District Judge Peter
Macdonald in a 1999 appearance on "60 minutes"
for its approach to domestic violence issues.
The criticism followed the deaths of two women
who were killed by soldiers under court order to
stay away.
The project at Fort Campbell will include
60 leaders from the military, communities
outside Fort Campbell and law enforcement
agencies, said Debby Tucker, executive director
for the National Center on Domestic and Sexual
Violence in Austin, Texas.
The center is responsible for the project
at military installations. Fort Campbell was one
of 24 installations that volunteered to
participate.
Members of the pilot project will meet at
various times throughout the year. Training is
scheduled for May 18-19. In January 2006, the
group will submit a grant application for
federal funds from the U.S. Department of
Justice.
"There is a reserved pot of money with
Fort Campbell's name on it," Tucker said.
"Nobody will tell me how much, but there is a
sum of money for this post."
Fort Campbell, which has more than 20,000
troops, straddles the border of Kentucky and
Tennessee. Tucker said domestic violence often
involves younger soldiers who are under the age
of 30. Also, recent overseas conflicts generally
add stress to active duty military personnel and
their families, she said.
However, much of the problem in handling
domestic violence at the post lies in the fact
that the two states handle domestic and sexual
violence cases differently. And in many cases,
post officials aren't aware that a soldier has
been ordered by the courts to stay away from the
victim, Tucker said.
"You have two different states, two
different laws," she said. "How can we take all
that and bring it to the table to resolve is
what we are going to do."
In addition to resolving the legal
boundaries of domestic violence, Tucker said the
project also will suggest ways for soldiers and
their families to react to problems, address
communication gaps between the court systems and
Fort Campbell and find solutions to prevent
victim injury.
Copyright 2005 Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed.
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