Domestic Violence Unit
The Beverly Police Department established its Domestic Violence Unit in 2002 in response to
increasing instances of domestic violence within the City of Beverly. Recognizing the urgent
need for focused intervention, the department, in collaboration with community partners, took
proactive steps to address this pressing issue.
At the Beverly Police Department, our commitment to protecting and supporting our community
extends to every individual affected by domestic violence and their unique needs. Our dedicated
Domestic Violence Unit operates with the mission to provide compassionate assistance, reliable
protection, and effective advocacy for survivors of domestic violence.
Comprehensive Support
Led by experienced law enforcement professionals, the Beverly Police Department Domestic
Violence Unit collaborates closely with community resources to ensure holistic support for
victims and their families. Central to our approach is the employment of a dedicated civilian
advocate, who plays a crucial role in offering specialized support. This advocate follows up on
most DV reports offering further services: including guidance through legal processes, one-on-
one emotional support, safety planning, referrals to emergency housing, connections to
counseling services, and assistance with navigating financial resources. This innovative
inclusion of a civilian advocate represents a progressive step forward in law enforcement’s
response to domestic violence, and Beverly PD is proud to be at the forefront of this evolving
practice.
HAWC 24-Hour Hotline: 1-(800) 547-1649
Contact Information:
Civilian Domestic Violence Advocate:
Ross Steinborn
978.922.1155
rsteinborn@beverlyma.gov
ADVOCACY – Advocates provide supportive free confidential services to victims which include crisis intervention, lethality and risk assessments, safety planning, shelter placement, 1-1 counseling, 24 hour hotline, legal advocacy with restraining order issues, assistance navigating the criminal/civil justice system, referrals to immigration clinic and assistance with u-visas when necessary, next day follow up, referrals to housing stabilization, and community education
We are committed to upholding the rights of survivors and holding offenders accountable.
Through proactive outreach, education, and responsive intervention, our unit strives to empower survivors, enhance safety, and prevent future incidents of domestic violence within our community.
The goal of a Coordinated Community Response (CCR) is to centralize and coordinate the response of the entire criminal justice system which include the Courts, Police, Prosecution, Parole, Probation, and advocates. Our CCR includes being a part of the Salem High Risk Team, which is a team comprised of department heads from within the criminal justice system who’s goal is to flag cases that have a high likelihood of homicide, in order to put preventive measures in place to deter a potential homicide. We challenge the community to listen, communicate, identify problems, and share ideas that will result in new responses that ensure victim safety and offender accountability.
This is a dedicated team of officers, detectives and advocates who are specially trained in sexual assault response and investigation and will respond to every sexual assault incident. The team will provide immediaste and compassionate investigation, confidential services, resources and referrals, as well as, pursue a rapid apprehension of the offender and strengthend prosecution through aggressive investigation. Team members will participate in the Massachusetts Rape Investigation Certification Program, and Victims of Sexual Assault Response Program.
The domestic violence unit has since its inception provided specialized domestic violence training to all the BPD sworn and civilian employees however in keeping with our goal to coordinate the response of the entire criminal justice system we have focused our training goals to introducing a multidisciplinary approach for training police, prosecution, probation, parole and advocates in order to get all disciplines to the table to collaborate and learn from one another. We also provide free training to community partners when requested.