600 East Walnut
Columbia, MO 65201-4491
573-874-7652/FAX: 573-874-3142
If you are a victim of domestic violence, please report it to your local law enforcement agency.
The Domestic Violence Enforcement Unit (DOVE) began operating at the Columbia Police Department on February 2, 1998. The DOVE unit is a specialized unit comprised of three investigators, a victim advocate, and two Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys. The Unit is comprised of detectives from the Columbia Police Department and the Boone County Sheriff's Department. The Unit's mission is to decrease the level of domestic violence by investigating domestic violence cases, promoting deterrence of violence, assisting victims, and interrupting the cycle of violence.
To accomplish its mission, the DOVE unit: investigates domestic violence incidents in Columbia and Boone County, assists the Prosecuting Attorneys office in prosecuting the offenders, aids victims in obtaining restraining orders, and assists with the arrest of offenders based on active warrants. The DOVE unit also assists victims, coordinates with other agencies, trains officers in and around Boone County, and promotes community education. The intended results of these activities are to deter and hold offenders accountable, empower victims, and enhance domestic violence reporting and enforcement.
The DOVE unit was formed and funded through the STOP Violence Against Women Grant to strengthen the law enforcement and criminal justice system's response to domestic violence. The DOVE Unit benefits from departments' community policing philosophy, a working relationship with the community, and changes in police work which has embraced a commitment to reduce the level of domestic violence within our community.
The Domestic Violence Enforcement Unit urges:
If you are a victim of domestic violence, please report it to your local law enforcement agency.
If you are a victim of domestic violence, developing a safety plan is an important step to prepare in advance for the possibility of further violence. The safety plan addresses the following situations that you may encounter in an abusive relationship and steps to take to keep yourself and your children safe:
Name |
Organization |
Phone |
|---|---|---|
Detective Nina Turner |
Boone County Sheriff's Department |
(573) 875-1111 |
Detective Jeff Westbrook |
Columbia Police Department |
(573) 874-7578 |
| Detective Randy Nichols | Columbia Police Department | (573)874-7576 |
| Victim Specialist Mark Koch | Prosecuting Attorneys Office | (573)
886-4135 |
| Victim Advocate Janet Amitin | The Women's Shelter | (573)
874-7577 |
| Victim Advocate Sharon Giles | The Women's Shelter | (573)875-1111 |
| Merilee Crockett | Prosecuting Attorneys Office | (573)
886-4100 |
| Julie Florence | Probation and Parole | (573)884-7016 |
| Victoria Okoiron | Probation and Parole | (573)884-7016 |
| Ted Solomon | Counselor | (573) 443-2204 |
Detective Turner is a Deputy with the Boone County Sheriff's Department in Columbia, Missouri and has been since 1997. She has specialized training as a firearms instructor, computer voice stress analyst and is current member of the BCERT team serving as a hostage negotiator. She began her current assignment with the DOVE Unit in October 2005.
Detective Westbrook is a lifelong resident of Columbia. He currently holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology. Westbrook was employed by the Mid-Missouri Mental Health Center and as a juvenile officer for the 13th Judicial Circuit prior to being hired by the Columbia Police Department, and has been with the Columbia Police Department for the past 19 years. During this time, Detective Westbrook has served as a DARE officer, downtown foot patrol officer, and as a member of the Crisis Negotiation Team. Since being assigned to the DOVE Unit, he has attended numerous training sessions throughout the country. He has visited similar domestic violence investigative units in New York City, Dallas and Portland, Oregon. Westbrook has made presentations regarding the investigation of domestic violence crimes to law enforcement, advocates and others in Missouri and Illinois.
Detective Nichols graduated from Central Missouri State University with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Sociology. He has been with the Columbia Police Department since July, 1997. During his career, he has been assigned to three shifts and has been assigned to the DOVE Unit since December, 2004. He has attended the International Conference on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking, in San Diego, California. He has also conducted trainings for other agencies in Missouri related to Domestic Violence.
Assistant Prosecutor Crockett has been with the Boone County Prosecuting Attorneys Office since April, 1999. She received a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1994. She holds a JD from the UMC School of Law which she obtained in 1997. Crockett was a private attorney in the southern Missouri area before relocating to Columbia. She is an active member of the Missouri Bar Association. As one of two assistant prosecuting attorneys, Crockett is responsible for reviewing domestic violence cases, working with the victims, and prosecuting the offenders.
Mark Koch has been with the Boone County Prosecuting Attorney's Office since June, 2001. He received a bachelor of science degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1995. Since his graduation, Mark has worked as an occupational therapist in forensic mental health and early childhood intervention. In `997, he became the program director for the Coalition Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV) in Callaway County and worked in Community based victim services for four years. He is a past member of the Missouri Victim Assistance Network (MoVA) Board of Directors. Mark is a member of the Victim Response Team for the Prosecuting Attorney's office and is responsible for providing emotional support, legal and judicial information and assistance with restitution for crime victims and their families as they participate in the criminal justice system.
Janet Amitin served as a Residential Victim Advocate at The Shelter for nearly two years prior to accepting the position of DOVE Victim Advocate. Ms. Amitin received a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Janet holds a Master’s degree from UMC in Social Work with a clinical concentration. During her undergraduate studies, she interned with The Shelter as a DOVE Victim Advocate in 2004. As part of her graduate work, Ms. Amitin served as an intern at the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence studying program development, public policy and administration. She has received extensive training and education in providing services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Janet provides general victim advocacy, court advocacy, case management and crisis intervention services for survivors of domestic violence through the DOVE Unit.
Sharon Giles served as the primary residential victim advocate for more than three years. She stepped into the role of DOVE advocate in August, 2005. Sharon has trained hundreds of advocates while employed at the Shelter. She attended college at Stephens College majoring in psychology and womens' studies.
Julie Florence has been employed with the Missouri Department of Corrections since July 1994. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work and has worked both in the women's institutions, and most recently in the Boone County field office as a Probation Officer II for the last eight years. Julie has been involved with domestic violence cases and the DOVE unit for the last four years, working closely with the victims and offenders to hold them accountable. She has prior experience working with juveniles and their families, addressing many of the same issues of substance abuse, anger management, and physical abuse.
Victoria Okoiron has been a Probation and Parole Officer since January 1996. She has supervised regular and intensive caseloads, and now supervises a Domestic Violence caseload and has been a D.O.V.E member since May 2005. Prior to her current position, she worked as a paid Intern Caseworker in Adult Institution, from June 1994 to January 1996. She also worked as a Counselor Assistant for a Dual Diagnosis Center in Columbia, MO, from May 1994 to June 2002. Victoria received a B.A. in Psychology, and a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Columbia College in 1993. She completed 9 hours at the University of Missouri in 1994/1995 toward Masters in Public Administration. During her undergraduate years, she completed practicum and internships at the Juvenile Justice Center, Adult Court Services, and Boone County Independent Living Services.
Justin Wobbe has been a MDOC Probation and Parole Officer since April, 2004. Before his employment as a P&P officer, Justin worked as a Deputy Juvenile Officer for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Boone County. Justin earned a bachelor of science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Security from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, MO. While attending college, Justin worked as a youth mentor for the Johnson County juvenile justice center.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us.
Columbia Police Department
Domestic Violence Enforcement Unit (DOVE)
600 East Walnut Street
Columbia, Missouri 65201
Telephone: (573) 874-7652
FAX: (573) 874-3142
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