1977 Free Clinic Spouse Abuse Shelter, the domestic violence shelter in Pinellas County, was founded by Sister Margaret Freeman.  It later became known as CASA.

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1980 The Spouse Abuse Shelter of RCS, the second shelter, opened in north Pinellas.

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1982 CASA became incorporated and separated from the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. 

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1984 Pinellas National Organization for Women (NOW) began staging Take Back the Night marches in St. Petersburg as well as collecting statistics on violence against women, including rape and domestic violence (statistics have been kept continuously since).

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1986-87 Pinellas NOW, CASA, RCS shelter and Captain Tom Knapp of the Largo Police Dept. began lobbying for a countywide ‘Preferred Arrest Policy’.  Only two police departments out of 17 law enforcement agencies in Pinellas County had a preferred arrest policy at that time.

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1987 Pinellas Police Standards Council formed a task force entitled Pinellas Police Standards Council Task Force.  It included representatives of 17 Police Departments, Criminal Justice planning, Pinellas NOW and S.A.D.

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1987 In October, the Pinellas Police Standards Council approved a countywide Preferred Arrest Policy and engaged the Task Force to implement it.

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1988 In January the Police Standards Council founded the Pinellas Domestic Violence Task Force with Tom Knapp as Chair.

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1988 In November the Pinellas Police Standards Council Task Force on Domestic Violence submitted its Progress Report to the Police Standards Council recommending the Program have:    

1. Training of all components 

2. Law Enforcement Response

3. Community Education

4. Mandatory Counselling of Perpetrators

5. Coordination and Evaluation, including a Project Coordinator

 

1989 Police Standards Council approved the first three parts of the Task Force’s Program.

 

1989 Criminal Justice Planning Council approved the first four parts of the Task Force’s Program.

 

1989 Mandatory Batterers Intervention Program (BIP) was instituted in Pinellas with therapists with a Master’s degree forming the BIP therapy groups.

1989-91 Members of the Domestic Violence Task Force including the Chair, CASA, RCS Shelter and NOW worked with a number of agencies to implement the fifth part of the Task Force’s Program, including a full time paid staff member and an assistant to work for the Task Force to implement and evaluate the way domestic violence is dealt with in Pinellas County.

 

1991 In April the Pinellas County Domestic Violence Task Force became the Domestic Violence Intervention Program located at the Family Service Center with one full-time paid Director and one paid assistant with Pinellas County Commission funds.

 

1992 In December the Domestic Violence Intervention Program and its Advisory Board were ended.  The one remaining staff member was moved to work on the Family Court Civil Injunctions.

 

1993 In February a new Pinellas County Domestic Violence Task Force was founded by Judge Lenderman and Karleen De Blaker, the Clerk of the Court.

 

1995 The Spouse Abuse Shelter in North Pinellas was renamed the Haven of RCS.

 

1996 The State Attorney, Bernie McCabe created a Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Unit.

 

2000 Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team formed.

 

2000 Leadership Awards were created and awarded.

 

2001 In October a ‘Bridging the Gap’ event was held to highlight the animal abuse link to domestic violence and included both Pinellas and Hillsborough County members walking across Friendship Trail Bridge.

 

2001 In November the first Domestic Violence Fatality Review Report was disseminated.

 

2003 The Delta Project and Safe Start Initiative grants awarded with PCDVTF collaboration.

 

2003 PCDVTF collaborated with Clear Channel to create billboards creating awareness to the animal abuse and domestic violence link.

 

2004 Statistics reports including recommendations for law enforcement, state attorney’s office and judges were disseminated.

 

2004 PCDVTF added ‘sexual violence prevention’ to its mission statement.

 

2005 A website was created and maintained by the PCDVTF with information and resources.

 

2006 A drafting of an Interagency Agreement was initiated between domestic violence centers, child protection and child welfare agencies.

 

2006  PCDVTF compiled and sent questionnaires to prospective judges about their DV experience and understanding.

 

2010 A court watch Program for injunction hearings was implanted.

2011  The first ‘Be a Better Bystander’ panel is held in the community as a response to the recommendations from the Fatality Review Team report.

 

2011 In response to PCDVTF requests the Pinellas County School Board added a Teen Dating Abuse Policy to its student handbook.

 

2011 PCDVTF changed its logo from clasped hands to purple ribbon, made efforts to complete a countywide safety audit and ended the formal court watch program.

 

2012 With the dissolution of the state wide domestic violence program the BIP providers will be monitored by PCDVTF.

 

2012 The Prevention Committee began participating in community events on behalf of PCDVTF.

 

2013 Domestic Violence Civil Court Grant was awarded to PCDVTF by the Office of Violence Against Women.

 

2013 PCDVTF, in conjunction with the Civil Court and their VOWA grant, held a Community Collaborative Training for attorneys and judges.

 

2013 In response to recommendations from the Fatality Review team, PERC and Westcare created a substance abuse curriculum for clients in an in-patient substance treatment center who had admittedly domestic violent backgrounds but no criminal charges.

 

2013 PCDVTF created a Gun Violence Resolution for the Pinellas County Commission.

 

2013 The first printing of the “Say This, Not That” nonviolent language booklet was printed and disseminated in coordination with PCDVTF.

 

2015 PCDVTF organized a fundraising ‘Run for Peace’ 5K event.

 

2015  Primary Prevention Team of the PCDVTF launched “Effective Communication with Your Child about Teen Dating Violence” for parents of high school and middle school students

 

2016 PCDVTF created a ‘Non-fatal Domestic Violence Strangulation Documentation Form’ and provides training for law enforcement, prosecutors and the community.

 

2017 PCDVTF joined with JAEDA (Jewish Alliance to End Domestic Abuse) to sponsor “The Yellow Dress” at St. Petersburg College in Clearwater.

 

2018    PCDVTF joined with JAEDA (Jewish Alliance to End Domestic Abuse) to sponsor “The Yellow Dress” at Seminole High School for the Junior and Senior class.

 

2020    Changed our name to better reflect our goal – now known as the Pinellas Coalition to End Domestic Violence.  Published our 20th Fatality Review Team Annual Report, partnering with experts Dr. Bethany Backes and Dr. Amy Reckdenwald to explore solutions to intimate partner homicide.  Began providing an education opportunity at every General Assembly Meeting.

 

2021    Created partnership with the University of Tampa Department of Criminology and  Criminal Justice to develop a database to document every domestic violence arrest in Pinellas county with the goal of improving data collection and sharing of this data with community members to increase understanding and awareness.