While COVID-19 has exacerbated the issue of Domestic Violence in Lake County, State’s Attorney’s Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Coordinating Council waited over a year to finally meet
Waukegan, IL – Candidate for Lake County State’s Attorney, Eric Rinehart, has released the following statement in response to revelations that the State’s Attorney’s Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Coordinating Council had not met in over a year until this past week.
“Lake County is suffering from interlocking epidemics – COVID-19 and domestic violence. With calls to domestic violence hotlines and police departments increasing during the quarantine, this council failed to meet. Not only should they be meeting monthly in order to digest up-to-date crime statistics, they should be openly reporting on their initiatives” said Eric Rinehart.
Eric Rinehart has made reducing domestic violence a centerpiece of his campaign and was the first candidate to release a plan to tackle Lake County’s growing epidemic.
Rinehart continued saying, “When I am State’s Attorney, our office will convene monthly public meetings of a task force that includes domestic violence survivors, law enforcement personnel, and domestic violence counselors. We will act with urgency and vision. The idea that Mr. Nerheim’s panel waited 372 days to meet is shocking. This is unacceptable, we must and will do better.”
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