Blueprint for Safety launches in Marquette County

MARQUETTE — Marquette County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Wiese introduced a new approach to domestic violence cases in the community Wednesday at Northern Michigan University.

The Marquette County Blueprint for Safety is a collaboration between Wiese’s office, local victim/survivor advocates, like the Women’s Center and the eight police departments in Marquette County. The plan increases communication between these entities to erase gaps in information, from the dispatch call to the court proceedings. That information could be used to prevent offenders from taking advantage of the system and provide survivor/victims with necessary resources.

The advocates can help victim/survivors finding new housing, foster their pets, provide updates on their offender’s court proceedings and more.

“The goal is that we’re improving victim safety within our community so they don’t feel like they are falling through the cracks when abuse happens to them,” said Marquette County Blueprint Coordinator Diane Ziegner. “It’s always great when we can feel like we’re fulfilling our mission and we’re doing what we want to be doing here.”

It took almost two years of researching past domestic abuse cases, listening to 911 calls and talking to victim/survivors to develop and launch the strategy. The Blueprint for Safety is supported by a federal grant through the Office on Violence Against Women.

For more information on the Blueprint for Safety, click HERE.