If a program in Cambridge, Mass., catches on, victims of domestic violence may have an ally in a small electronic device that quietly alerts police of a possible attack. In June, the Cambridge Police Department began
”Project EARS”-short for Emergency Alarm Response System-which allows a woman who fears being a repeated victim of domestic violence to wear around her neck or carry in her pocket a button-type device that sets off alarms at police stations without alerting her attacker.
This summer, the department bought and distributed on a rotating basis three of the so-called ”panic buttons.” It plans to expand the program this fall. To date, 15 women in Cambridge have carried the panic buttons, but none has needed to activate the alarm.
”We`re trying to reduce the sense of fear that is associated with domestic violence,” said Deputy Supt. Michael Giacoppo, who introduced the program. ”Women are afraid to go outside and play with their kids on the front lawn because they`d be away from the telephone (and the ability to dial 911) if an attack occurred.”
The alarms are distributed to women who have had restraining orders issued against men and are believed to be in the most danger, based on responses to a questionnaire.
