Fryeburg police have added purple ribbon-shaped decals to their cruisers to raise awareness about domestic violence.
The town’s selectmen voted unanimously to allow the placement of the decals on police vehicles and make them part of the permanent color scheme. The department unveiled the new look Wednesday along with advocates for victims of domestic violence.
Domestic violence survivor Donna Woodward placed the final ribbon on a cruiser during the ceremony at Bradley Park on Main Street, police said in a written release.
“The main purpose of displaying the domestic violence ribbons on our cruisers is to let our community know we will support them,” said Chief Joshua Potvin in the release. “We equally wanted to send the message to offenders that there is no excuse and we will hold them accountable.”
Potvin said the department has a mandatory arrest policy in domestic violence cases and works with advocates to conduct follow-up interviews with victims within 48 hours to make sure they are aware of available services. All officers also are trained in assessing risk of a suspect re-offending, Potvin said.
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