Is “law and order” State Rep. Fred Camillo getting soft on crime? Far from it. The Cos Cob Republican introduced a bill (A. 5344) last week which would prohibit the disclosure of the name of someone arrested for domestic violence, but did so at the request of police.
At first blush one might think such a law would help abusers. Actually, the contrary is true, according to law enforcement officials and domestic abuse experts who are supporting the bill. Indeed, Rep. Camillo introduced the bill at the request of Greenwich Police Detective Christy Girard who has in the past made direct appeals to newspapers to take it upon themselves not to publish the names to protect the privacy of the victims. As Rep. Camillo told the Hartford Courant, “When someone is arrested for domestic violence, it’s not hard to deduce who was abused.”
According to law enforcement officials, frequently victims are reluctant to call police to report abuse because of the publicity. They are concerned about the gossip their kids might be subjected to, or even concerned about how he or she (the victim) may be viewed by the friends, family and neighbors.
Rep. Camillo has asked Detective Girard and Greenwich Police domestic violence expert, Lt. Rick Cochran to testify on the bill at a legislative hearing in Hartford on this coming Thursday, March 4.
