During their weekly business meeting, the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County held a proclamation ceremony which designated October Domestic Violence Awareness month in the county.
Commissioner Cindy Jones presided over the ceremony which featured members of the St. Mary’s County Commission for Women, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Family Violence Coordinating Council and Walden Sierra.
During her remarks Commissioner Jones (1st District) remarked on the impact domestic violence has on women. “A woman is beaten every 9 seconds and women miss over 8,000,000 days of work annually due to domestic violence injuries and issues. The impact of domestic violence is wide ranging, directly affecting individuals and society as a whole, here in this community, throughout the United States and the world,” said Commissioner Jones.
A second ceremony was held to pay special recognition to the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. Commissioner Dan Morris (2nd District) read the proclamation which touted the efforts of the State’s Attorney.
“State’s Attorney Richard Fritz was the first to establish a specialized division singularly devoted to fighting domestic violence. In this division has a dedicated experienced domestic violence prosecutor, a highly trained victim/witness coordinator and a specialized investigator,” said Commissioner Morris.