WARREN — The Warren Police Department recently revealed a new initiative aimed at reducing domestic violence in the city, a problem Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins has said is often the cause of violent crimes.

The initiative, called Operation Cycle Break, is aimed at reducing the number of domestic violence calls by enhancing victim safety, streamlining the justice process and ensuring greater offender accountability.

“This is a cutting-edge response, a model that is modeled after successful initiatives across the country but specifically tailored to the city of Warren,” he said at a press conference June 6.

Hawkins said the initiative is built on four key pillars: victim protection and empowerment, swift justice and deterrence through understanding consequences, making resources accessible and creating pathways for change, and holding offenders accountable and preventing further harm.

In the last two years, Hawkins said the department has responded to over 9,000 domestic violence calls.

Operation Cycle Break is a collaboration between the Warren Police Department, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, Turning Point Macomb and Wayne State University.

Through the initiative, Warren police now require follow-up by phone and in person with victims and offenders. They are also now required to complete a multi-question lethality assessment, a tool aimed at helping officers identify high-risk situations and prioritizing their response.

After an offender has been arrested, they will also receive a letter informing them that the department will be monitoring their behavior post-custody, according to a statement from the Police Department. Offenders will also be encouraged to seek any kind of mental help that may be useful.

Additionally, Hawkins said there will be a more streamlined court system.

Chief Judge John Chmura said within 48 hours of a defendant being arraigned they must report to the probation department, where they will be referred to a number of different counselling services. A condition of bail will be that the defendant must sign up for one of them, he said.

“They’re not going to have any choice, and I’m hoping that’s going to make quite a difference in breaking the cycle of violence,” Chmura said.

Chmura said his court will begin dedicating one day a week to hearing domestic violence cases, which he said will expedite the legal process.

“We’re hoping within 14 days, maybe less, that your case will be before the judge if you’re charged with domestic violence,” he said. “We can’t let this thing sit here. Quite honestly, a lot of bad things could happen between the arraignment date and the pretrial date.”

Within 10 days of the initial incident, Warren detectives will also be following up with victims to ensure they are safe and that offenders are complying with any no-contact orders.

In the four weeks since the program was started, Hawkins said data indicates that it is already making a difference.

“Since we launched the program, we’ve seen 88% of warrant requests for domestic incidents have been authorized for prosecution,” he said. “That’s an increase of 33% over the same time period last year.”

Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said the partnership and Operation Cycle Break exemplify a “bold, unified action.” He said he hopes other cities across the county will implement their own initiatives.

“(Operation Cycle Break) confronts domestic violence head-on and will not tolerate abuse,” Lucido said. “We will not leave victims behind.”