Victims in immediate physical danger still need to call 911. Police, he said, will still give rides to victims who want to prosecute immediately after the abuse. The program is designed to ensure that victims who don't prosecute immediately will find it easier to follow up with prosecutions and get help. Sometimes, Norton said, police are called to a home where a man has beaten up a woman and then flees before officers get there. When that happens, if the victim isn't in immediate need of medical attention, police will offer to take her to the Criminal Justice Center to get a warrant or possibly an order of protection.
Women sometimes refuse to go.
They may not want to take their children in the middle of the night, he said. Victims need to call the domestic violence office, 880-3000, to get police to call the cab. Those wanting to prosecute before 8 a.m. or after 10 p.m. should call 862-8600. The bus passes can be used only in the daytime by uninjured victims with no children. Anything that is going to help women in crisis, whether they're victims of domestic violence or potential victims of domestic violence, is a help.