Personalized Safety Plan

Having important phone numbers nearby for you and your children. Numbers to have are the police, hotlines, friends and the local shelter.
Friends or neighbors you could tell about the abuse. Ask them to call the police if they hear angry or violent noises. If you have children, teach them how to dial 911. Make up a code word that you can use when you need help.
How to get out of your home safely. Practice ways to get out.
Safer places in your home where there are exits and no weapons. If you feel abuse is going to happen try to get your abuser to one of these safer places.
Any weapons in the house. Think about ways that you could get them out of the house.
Even if you do not plan to leave, think of where you could go. Think of how you might leave. Try doing things that get you out of the house - taking out the trash, walking the pet or going to the store. Put together a bag of things you use everyday (see the checklist below). Hide it where it is easy for you to get.
Going over your safety plan often.

If you consider leaving your abuser, think about...

Four places you could go if you leave your home.
People who might help you if you left. Think about people who will keep a bag for you. Think about people who might lend you money. Make plans for your pets.
Keeping change for phone calls or getting a cell phone.
Opening a bank account or getting a credit card in your name.
How you might leave. Try doing things that get you out of the house - taking out the trash, walking the family pet, or going to the store. Practice how you would leave.
How you could take your children with you safely. There are times when taking your children with you may put all of your lives in danger. You need to protect yourself to be able to protect your children.
Putting together a bag of things you use everyday. Hide it where it is easy for you to get.

ITEMS TO TAKE, IF POSSIBLE

Children (if it is safe) Money
Keys to car, house, work Medicine
Important papers for you and your children Birth Certificates
Social Security cards School and medical records
Bankbooks, credit cards Driver's license
Car Registration Welfare identification
Passports, green cards, work permits Lease/rental agreement
Mortgage payment book, unpaid bills Insurance papers
PPO, divorce papers, custody orders Address book
Pictures, jewelry,things that mean a lot to you Items for your children (toys, blankets, etc.)

8. Think about reviewing your safety plan often.

If you have left your abuser, think about...

Your safety - you still need to.
Getting a PPO from the court. Keep a copy with you all the time. Give a copy to the police, people who take care of your children, their schools and your boss.
Changing the locks. Consider putting in stronger doors, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, a security system and outside lights.
Telling friends and neighbors that your abuser no longer lives with you. Ask them to call the police if they see your abuser near your home or children.
Telling people who take care of your children the names of people who are allowed to pick them up. If you have a PPO protecting your children, give their teachers and babysitters a copy of it.
Telling someone at work about what has happened. Ask that person to screen your calls. If you have a PPO that includes where you work, consider giving your boss a copy of it and a picture of the abuser. Think about and practice a safety plan for your workplace. This should include going to and from work.
Not using the same stores or businesses that you did when you were with your abuser.
Someone that you can call if you feel down. Call that person if you are thinking about going to a support group or workshop.
Safe way to speak with your abuser if you must.
Going over your safety plan often.

WARNING: Abusers try to control their victim's lives. When abusers feel a loss of control - like when victims try to leave them - the abuse often gets worse. Take special care when you leave. Keep being careful even after you have left.

NEW DOMESTIC VIOLENCE MONITORING LAW

We are pleased to report that Governor Rod Blagoievich here in Chicago signed a domestic violence monitoring law that lets courts order abusers to wear GPS monitoring devices once they have been given an order of protection. Once the abuser comes within a certain distance of the victim, not only are the police notifed, but the victim is notified as well. Hopefully this will help those who are victims of stalking, harassment or domestic violence gain back their own personal freedom.

The family of Cindy Bischof helped push the law in Springfield.

Bischof was killed in March when she was gunned down in the Elmhurst parking lot where she worked by an ex-boyfriend who then turned the gun on himself.

The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2009.

In The News: GPS monitoring for Domestic Violence cases

Geneva, Illinois: Kane County officials gathered Monday, May 11 in the Kane County Judicial Center to discuss the newly implemented technology of the Bischof Law. Named after Cindy Bischof, an Arlington Heights woman who was shot to death in 2008 by her ex-boyfriend after he had broken a restraining order more than once – the law makes it possible to track offenders, after a risk assessment and approval of the court, with a GPS bracelet and real-time tracking.

The law, which took effect Jan. 1, was made to help provide victims of domestic violence with a warning of possible physical harm. The GPS unit allows officers to know where offenders have been and if they have broken the exclusionary zone in the restraining order. If an exclusionary zone is impeded, officials said Kane County will be notified immediately and will be able to see exactly where the offender is and has been.

F. Keith Brown, chief judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit Court, Brown said he hopes the system will have a “dog shock collar” effect, in that as the system becomes more prevalent, offenders will learn not to enter restricted zones.

Twelve other states have passed similar legislation — most recently, Indiana this week — and about 5,000 domestic abusers are being tracked nationwide, said George Drake, who oversees Colorado’s Electronic Monitoring Resource Center, which gathers data from equipment vendors.

“Using GPS monitoring to enforce an order of protection makes the order more than just a piece of paper,” said Diane Rosenfeld, a lecturer at Harvard Law School and a longtime advocate of using GPS in domestic abuse cases. “It’s a way of making the criminal justice system treat domestic violence as potentially serious. By detecting any escalation in the behavior of a batterer, GPS can prevent these unnecessary tragedies.”

But the path to the system’s widespread use has been bumpy. It is still hard to protect families who live in rural areas or where there are not enough police officers to respond quickly. With the economic downturn, states have cut money for training the police and judges in GPS use, and some places with legislation in place say they cannot afford it. It is up to a judge, in cases of extreme violence, to decide whether to order its use before trial, as a condition of bail or as a sentence.

But for now, the GPS monitoring system seems to be the only silver lining in a violent cloud reeking of beatings, death threats and stalking. As Theresa, a 51-year-old mother of two living near NEWBURYPORT, Massachusetts said, “My husband violated the restraining order three times. He’d come to our child’s school and beat both of us up in front of everyone." A judge ordered Joel, her husband to wear a Global Positioning System monitor, alerting law enforcement officials if he went near his wife’s house, her work or their children’s school.

“It was the first time I could turn my house alarm off and feel O.K.,” said Theresa.

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YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A FIGHTER TO FIGHT BACK