KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A metro area woman has created the first-ever national database of domestic violence offenders.
Anyone can use her state-by-state public records search.
Discussions in Congress about a domestic violence registry have limited the information to only felony convictions, which survivors claim doesn’t give enough insight into someone’s background.
After enduring years of both emotional and financial abuse in her relationship, Caroline Hammond created “Safe In Harm’s Way,” a progressive app and website that allows victims to discreetly get information to escape abuse.
Hammond spent eight months this year creating a database of restraining orders and domestic violence offenses from all 50 states.
You simply select a state, search by last name and birthdate, to learn about any potential red flags about an individual.
“If you are hatching a safety plan or if you need to know before you get involved with someone, what their history is,” Hammond said. “That’s far different than anything currently pending before the House and the Senate for a national registry. You have the ability to get that now in a public domain.”
Hammond says there are millions of names in her registry and she believes that’s important because a study in the Washington Post found that when women are killed by men who abuse them, one out of three had a history of restraining orders from previous relationships, but no criminal convictions.
To see this one-stop shop of domestic violence resources, go to: https://safeinharmsway.ihubapp.org/
You can also text the word “safe” to 5-5-7-4-1 to get a link to the app.
