Wednesday, April 6, 2005
Page 3
San Diego Family Justice Center Wins National Honor
By a MetNews Staff Writer
San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy accepted a national honor yesterday on behalf of the San Diego Family Justice Center, the city reported.
Murphy, who recently won re-election, praised the center on its receipt of the James C. Howland Award, given to just eight cities in the nation that exemplify municipal enrichment and efforts to enhance the quality of life in the community.
“I am proud to be the mayor of a city that is leading the country in stopping family violence,’’ Murphy said in a statement. “As a former judge, I saw first-hand the destructive impacts domestic violence has on families. It’s encouraging to see our city make progress in stamping out this type of crime. We owe a debt of gratitude to former City Attorney Casey Gwinn, former Police Chief Dave Bejarano and our current Police Chief William Landsdowne for their work in this endeavor.”
The Center, which opened in 2002, is the nation’s first facility to house the entire domestic violence units of a police department and a prosecutor’s office in the same location, the city said. Since it opened, the city said the number of reported domestic violence homicides has dropped.
Copyright 2005, Metropolitan News Company