This Saturday at 2:00 p.m. PST, listen to WCI's Susan Murphy-Milano on TRUE CRIMES, an online broadcast devoted to true crime. "I am the daughter of a
Chicago Violent Crimes Detective," Susan told TRUE CRIMES. "My father murdered my mother before taking his own life."Susan found her parents' bodies.
"I will not rest until those who abuse and kill are held accountable."
And so Susan has turned tragedy into her life's work. As a nationally recognized women's advocate, she was instrumental in the passage of the
Illinois Stalking Law and the Lautenberg Act. A voice for victims, Susan has championed the rights of battered women and children, in court cases and in coordinating exit strategies with safe houses and bodyguards.The
nonfiction author and violence expert has reached women far and wide, through publications such as Woman's Day, Family Circle, and U.S. News & World Report. Susan has also made appearances on Oprah, 20/20, American Justice, CNN, 48 Hours, and Nightline.In spreading the word and her work through media appearances, Susan has received a flood of correspondence from wives of officers across the country—women with no place to turn for assistance, all because a husband or boyfriend was a respected law enforcement officer. There is no excuse for violence, Susan says, especially in a police officer's home.
Why aren't departments seeking a zero-tolerance policy on domestic violence committed by police officers? Is it too embarrassing? Family members rarely come forward to report these crimes and if they do, they are often victimized even more by their abusive officer spouse or boyfriend.
"He was going to kill me," said a Boston police officer's wife. "How can you let him keep his gun and stay on the street?"
"When a police department does not take action, we, the families of officers, feel powerless and worried about our own lives and the safety of their kids. All this does is further victimize us, when will it end?" (Wife of a New York State Trooper)
"You know the words on the side of police cars, 'We Serve And Protect,' let me tell you every time I see that I'm sick with grief. It doesn't apply to me. It should read, 'hey, we serve and protect our own'!" (Another woman married to an officer)
The women say that when they notified police, investigating officers were reluctant to pursue the cases. Evidence was mishandled. Some of the women were pressured by other officers or top brass to drop their complaints.
"I was treated like a criminal, I was trying to get some help here," said another.
The silence surrounding cops who abuse and murder their spouses has been deafening. Until
Drew Peterson was finally thrown into the spotlight, with one wife dead and the other presumed killed, such cases rarely made the news. But just this week there was another shocking
case in the headlines. Who do you call when your husband, the police officer, is beati
ng the hell out of you? You contact Susan Murphy-Milano. Listen to the live broadcast tomorrow on TRUE CRIMES with renowned author Burl Barer (pictured right) and attorney Don Woldman.TRUE CRIMES
Links to listen: http://outlawcrime.com or http://www.mrcigar.com/live.asx
Saturday, November 8 2:00 p.m. PST Also, you can tune in to Susan on Tuesday evenings for Justice Interrupted, the "Crime Investigation Radio Network," which she co-hosts with WCI's Stacy Dittrich and Robin Sax.
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Tacoma police chief shoots wife, kills himself
April 26, 2003 GIG HARBOR - (WA) Tacoma's police chief shot his wife and then himself in the parking lot of a strip mall Saturday afternoon while the couple's two young children were nearby.
David Brame died at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma about 6 p.m. His wife Crystal remained in critical condition today at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. (She later died).
On Friday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that Crystal Brame, 35, had accused her husband in court papers of pointing his service revolver at her and trying to choke her during two separate incidents in the past six months.
It was common knowledge to many top Tacoma police officers in 2001 that then-Assistant Police Chief David Brame had been accused of rape a decade earlier, court documents released yesterday show.
The court file is further evidence that many within the city of Tacoma's power structure knew of "red flags" related to Brame and either ignored or dismissed them.
My ex was a police officer. His weapon of choice was not violence, but emotional abuse. After our divorce, it was not uncommon for him to have Children's Protective Services be summoned to my home for a myriad of reasons, all of which were unsubstantiated. When our daughter refused to go visit him, he had five police cars sent to my home with the complaint that our daughter was being held against her will.
All my complaints to his superior officers were met with the response that they did not deal with domestic disputes.
The emotional toll was for me was just as bad as any physical beating would have been. I lived in total fear of what he would do next.
My children are now grown, and I no longer have to deal with the constant emotional barrage of unexpected turmoil. My children have chosen not to have any contact with their father.
My utmost respect to anyone who helps the spouses of law enforcement who feel that they have no recourse when dealing with the blue wall.
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