GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Grand Rapids domestic violence prevention group is teaming up with police to raise awareness and continue advocating for survivors.
Safe Haven Ministries partnered with the YWCA and the Grand Rapids Police Department to create a "high-risk team" within the police department. It will be responsible for training officers and giving them the necessary resources to respond to domestic violence calls.
"As we think about implementing a new team, it's about that support, that accountability, and it's also about coordinating a response," Rachel VerWys, CEO of Safe Haven Ministries, told News 8 Tuesday.
VerWys said the focus is also to support survivors, educate officers and hold abusers accountable.
"This response of a high-risk team is really about a commitment