SANATOGA PA – A Norristown PA-based non-profit organization that helps law enforcement agencies and health care professionals respond to and follow up on domestic violence cases recently supplied roll-call training to all officers of the Lower Pottsgrove Police Department, Chief Michael Foltz reported.

Stacy Sweinhart, manager of the Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) at Laurel House, 605 Swede St., Norristown, was on hand during a department roll-call to discuss team services, which are available at any time, every day of the week. Its advocates provide crisis counseling, safety planning, resource referrals, and assistance in helping victims file Protection from Abuse Orders, and victim education.

Laurel House, a United Way agency, is more than 30 years old, according to its website. Founded in 1980 by the Women’s Center of Montgomery County, it began as a domestic violence shelter for abused women and their children. DART, now one of its fastest growing programs, works with 42 police departments and medical providers in dealing with domestic abuse they discover or that is reported to them.

Sweinhart’s presentation, as well as routine firearms training provided to department officers at the shooting range of the county Public Safety Training Center, accounted for 18-3/4 hours of training overtime incurred by the department during October (2012), Foltz told the township Board of Commissioners.