Charleston Police Adopt Trauma-Informed Training

The Charleston Police Department's initiative is a pilot program funded by a $500,000 grant from the Abby Honold Program, a federal initiative by the Office on Violence Against Women. This program was named after Abby Honold, a rape survivor whose own negative experience with law enforcement led her to advocate for better, trauma-informed training for police. The training focuses on three key areas: being victim-centered to ensure the survivor feels supported, trauma-informed to understand how trauma affects a person's response and memory, and offender-focused to learn about a perpetrator's past behaviors to guide the investigation. This approach is a shift from traditional interview techniques that can inadvertently re-traumatize victims. A core component of this training is understanding the neurobiology of trauma. Traumatic events can impact how memories are formed and recalled, which can sometimes be misinterpreted by investigators as deception. The training aims to educate officers on these neurological responses to better assess victim statements and conduct more effective interviews. Studies on similar training programs in other jurisdictions have shown positive results. A study of the "ISACURE" course in Queensland, Australia, found that trained investigators had a 14.8% higher solve rate for rape and attempted rape cases. Additionally, these investigators saw a 14% lower rate of victim withdrawal from cases. The Charleston Police Department views this as an initial step and plans to expand the training to other law enforcement agencies in the tri-county area. There are also intentions to adapt the training to improve responses to other crimes such as domestic violence, stalking, and harassment.