The Lafayette Chief of Police is headed to Lafayette Consolidated Council meeting on Tuesday.  Chief Jim Craft wants authorization to file an application with the U.S. Department of Justice for a 2015 Office on Violence Against Women Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program grant.  Kelsey Sanders is a University of Louisiana at Lafayette Student.  Kelsey has spoken publicly about her experience with domestic violence. “I knew it was wrong, but I just didn’t know where to get help from,” says Sanders.

“It started out kind of as mental abuse, then it progressed to physical.  Some days he would be fine. The next day or so we would be in an argument,” adds Sanders.  Kelsey supports the grant for local law enforcement.  She’s hopeful police will become more familiar with domestic violence and recognizing the signs of being victimized. “A lot of people hide it. Nobody would have ever known that because I hid it.  So you just have to pay attention to the signs,” says Sanders.

Craft notes that with the funds he intends to train and equip an investigator to deal directly with domestic violence within the jurisdiction of the Lafayette Police Department.  The LCG council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:30pm.