Lynchburg City Council approves $500,000 grant to combat domestic violence

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — The Lynchburg City Council voted unanimously to allow the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office to accept a $500,000 grant to help combat domestic violence in our region and prosecute those accused of it.

During Tuesday night's council meeting, Lynchburg Commonwealth's Attorney Bethany Harrison said her office received the grant. Harrison said the grant is for three years and will help her four-person team prosecute domestic violence cases, as well as help train officers to recognize the signs of domestic violence and what to do during such calls .

Finance Committee Deputy Mayor Chris Faraldi had already approved the grant for the office.

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Commonwealth's Attorney Bethany Harrison said this money will be used to commemorate those she believes have been killed by domestic violence in our area.

“Given that we just had our domestic violence vigil where we honored the lives of six women who have lost their lives to intimate partner violence since 2020 – five of them since 2023 – this will not be the panacea, but “It will work towards proactive measures to address domestic violence cases,” Harrison said. “It partially funds some positions in our office. So when you think about the General Assembly, as many of you know, when they pass misdemeanors left and right, there's never funding for it locally, but that helps fund those positions and prosecute those misdemeanors.” “Domestic violence , stalking, sexual assault and the like have a major impact on public safety.”

Harrison said one of the best aspects of the grant is that the city does not have to find a partner to receive the grant. She also added that this grant came from the US Department of Justice.