NewsOctober 26, 2023
First Responders Month: Deputy dedicated to helping abuse, assault survivors
Cpl. Jaime Holloway is a one-woman department. Every sexual assault or domestic violence case the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office investigates goes through her. She began her role as a domestic violence investigator Jan. 1, 2014. Since then, she's worked with thousands of victims to examine their cases and, if need be, to bring them to court...
Cpl. Jaime Holloway is a one-woman department.
Every sexual assault or domestic violence case the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office investigates goes through her.
She began her role as a domestic violence investigator Jan. 1, 2014. Since then, she's worked with thousands of victims to examine their cases and, if need be, to bring them to court.
"I make sure they have all the counseling services in place they need, make sure we have all the photographs for evidentiary purposes, make sure they have help for an ex parte (order of protection) ... and if the deputy has not spoken with the offender, I'll interview them and get their side of that story and submit that to the prosecuting attorney," she said.
Holloway said the most rewarding aspect of the difficult job is hearing back from victims about how they've improved their lives after she has helped them.
"It doesn't happen all that often, but whenever people come back years later and tell you their success story of how they've been able to get out of this situation and are able to move on with their life ... that's why I do what I do," she said.
Working the case
Strictly speaking, the corporal doesn't operate entirely by herself. She works as part of a multidisciplinary team with other departments and organizations.
These are the Cape Girardeau and Jackson police departments, the county's prosecuting attorney, the 32nd Judicial District's juvenile administration office and the Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence (SEMO-NASV).
"We're very fortunate to be in area where ... we have a team who comes together for this," Holloway said. "That good working relationship is key."
At SEMO-NASV, workers provide abuse survivors with advocacy, counseling, forensic interviews and non-invasive medical exams. They walk them through each step of the process whether they're children or adults.
"We get the victim, no matter if it's an adult or a child. They see both," Holloway said. "At SEMO-NASV we get them scheduled for an exam just to ensure the safety of their body after something like that has happened to them. We also do a forensic interview and that's with a trained interviewer. That way, we try to cut down on any chance of re-victimization where they don't have to keep telling their story over and over again."
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Law enforcement liaisons such as Holloway play a crucial role in the work SEMO-NASV does.
"For child cases, we can't do a case without them," SEMO-NASV's executive director Kendra Eads said. "We need them to make the referral ... we need their input on the questions to ask, what information we're trying to glean and we need them to work with the family as well."
From another room so as not to intrude, Holloway or other law enforcement liaisons can hear and watch interviews with survivors in real time. Interviewer notes and whiteboard drawings are transmitted to them as they're drawn up as well.
Officers and deputies receive recordings of each interview and use the information to compile evidence to share with attorneys for court trials.
Most domestic violence cases take just a few days to complete. Sexual assault cases are more complex. Holloway said it usually takes a week to get those to a prosecuting attorney.
From there, though, the courts can move slowly. Holloway worked on one sexual abuse case that started in 2015 and was finally resolved in court in 2022.
Promoting awareness
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and local law enforcement departments do various things to generate awareness.
The sheriff's office turns the lights of its foyer purple; Holloway presents a domestic violence awareness proclamation to county commissioners.
Deputies wear special pins all month long and purple shirts on 'Purple Thursday,' Oct. 19, to raise awareness and support survivors.
In 2022, between the county and the cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson, there were 1,763 calls for domestic violence services. Holloway dealt with 251 of them.
"It is a nationwide issue," Cape Girardeau County Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson said of the domestic violence epidemic. "Even in Cape Girardeau County, we do have growing numbers. We are proud to have a domestic violence investigator that's dedicated to working those cases."
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