Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is receiving unprecedented national focus this summer because of the O.J. Simpson murder trial. In Maryland, as in other states, the Simpson case and its attendant publicity present a golden opportunity for examining laws and procedures that could help reduce the incidence and severity of domestic assaults.Donna Shalala, secretary of Health and Human Services, calls it "domestic terrorism," an accurate description when one considers the injuries often overlooked by police or dismissed by courts would bring stiff penalties if inflicted on a stranger.

When I heard about the deadly incident of domestic violence involving the Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, my first thought was what a tragedy ("Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher kills girlfriend, himself," Dec. 1). That thought quickly led me to wonder if the NFL would now start talking about domestic violence. But it doesn't look good so far. On ESPN's NFL "Sunday Countdown," all the talk was about remembering what a great guy and player Belcher was. Only Tom Jackson made the point that he was more concerned about the girlfriend and the child left behind than about Belcher, who was a murderer.

Thanks, but we'll pass. With great fanfare, the office of Baltimore City Councilman Robert W. Curran sent out a email to reporters declaring that domestic violence is “a fundamental human right.” The missive went on to say: “Baltimore is only the second city in the country (after Cincinnatti) to recognize this right.” It's tempting to wonder what other heretofore unrecognized human rights are about to be newly affirmed.  But when we called the councilman to inquire, there was a long moment of silence.

A Baltimore police major who heads the Northern District station participated in a domestic violence workshop sponsored by the White House this week. Maj. Sabrina Tapp-Harper joined the lieutenant governor and others, including the mother of Yeardley Love, whose daughter from Cockeysville was killed by her boyfriend at the University of Virginia . The meeting, opened by Vice President Joe Biden, came just before the Senate is to vote on a bill that contains funds for the Violence Against Women act. It would allocate money to local law enforcement agencies to combat domestic violence and to shelters for battered women and rape crisis centers.

A state senator from Baltimore County is pushing to oust a district judge accused this week of mistreating a White Marsh woman who was seeking a restraining order in a domestic violence case. District Judge Bruce S. Lamdin will not hear any cases until an investigation into his statements is complete, said Terri Bolling, a spokeswoman for the Maryland court system. "He's an absolute disgrace to the bench," said State Sen. Jim Brochin, a Baltimore County Democrat, who said he has had constituents complain to him about Lamdin.

As the application deadline loomed for vendors who want to participate in a fundraising event in Bel Air next month, Hazel U. Hopkins fretted that a favorite caterer might have forgotten to sign up. So she drove an application to the business in Kingsville, waited for the owner to fill it out and then returned it to the offices of SARC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending domestic violence, in Bel Air. That kind of go-the-extra-mile determination...

A grant of $70,373 for the First Step program, which will provide a court services coordinator to work with victims of domestic violence for the first time, has been given to Westminster Police Department and Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland. The funds were given by the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention. They will be used to continue the domestic violence prevention program, which intervenes with abusers and victims in an effort to prevent assaults. In addition to the coordinator, the program will also expand this year to include Hampstead, Manchester, Sykesville and Taneytown.

As Albert McClellan closes in on a starting job on the Ravens' defense, the outside linebacker is in the process of dealing with an accusation of domestic violence. McClellan was arrested on June 30 in his hometown of Lakeland, Fla., and charged with battery (a first-degree misdemeanor), and simple assault with threat or intent to do violence (a second-degree misdemeanor), according to court documents obtained by The Sun.  Although the case remains active on the Polk County docket with a Sept.