John E. Guard, IV | 2021 National Crime Victims' Service Awards Tribute Video

JOHN GUARD: Domestic violence is not just one case, one call, one time. As law enforcement, our responsibility is to address this and protect victims of domestic violence as best we can. 

While I was in my field training in 1996, we got a call. You just knew the terror she was facing within her home. He made the bond and, essentially, held her hostage for 28 days. 

There was a gaping hole within the law enforcement community surrounding victim services as it impacts victims of intimate partner violence. That case was my impetus for change. 

That's what I wanted to ask, 'cause I know... 

We had a policy early on with the Pitt County Sheriff's Office where our judiciary, when they would issue an order of protection that said the defendant was not to possess or purchase a firearm, they hand-wrote on that order that the deputy serving this order shall immediately take possession of the firearms from the defendant. 

I was invited to Raleigh to, to speak to members of the legislature supporting how it would help significantly increase victim safety and offender accountability. House Bill 1354 is really an all-encompassing legislation, but the highlights for me personally were providing training for law enforcement and getting powers of arrest on pre-trial release conditions. 

For a couple decades, I was at every one of the trainings for domestic violence that occurred here locally. Historically, we're trained extensively on interrogations, but really up until just recently have we focused on victim interviews and understanding the impact of trauma, so you're able to understand why we need to change, not only for the organization, but for victims of crime.

Law enforcement are merely an extension of the community they serve. I'm just one of many men and women that have embraced this topic and made the strides to improve how we serve victims who are impacted by domestic violence or intimate partner violence.