St. Bernard Sheriff speaks at United Way Domestic Violence Awareness panel discussion
 St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann was among several panelists who participated in a domestic violence awareness discussion hosted by the United Way of Southeast Louisiana on Oct. 25 in the Nunez Community College Auditorium in Chalmette. |
 St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann speaks with United Way of Southeast Louisiana Chief Operating Officer Charmaine Caccioppi following at domestic violence awareness discussion hosted by the United Way of Southeast Louisiana on Oct. 25 in the Nunez Community College Auditorium in Chalmette. |
St. Bernard Sheriff Pohlmann, second from left, spoke at a domestic violence awareness discussion held Oct. 25 by the United Way of Southeast Louisiana. Also pictured at the forum are, from left: United Way of Southeast Louisiana President And Chief Executive Officer Michael Williamson, Activist Donna Dees, United Way of Southeast Louisiana Chief Operating Officer Charmaine Caccioppi, St. Bernard District Attorney Perry Nicosia; Attorney and United Way of Southeast Louisiana Public Policy Chair Kim Sport, Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence Executive Director Mariah Wineski, St. Bernard Battered Women’s Shelter Executive Director Gail Gowland, Chalmette Refining Process Safety Manager Becky Bourg, and Louisiana State Rep. Ray Garofalo.
Other panelists included: St. Bernard District Attorney Perry Nicosia, Activist Donna Dees, United Way of Southeast Louisiana Chief Operating Officer Charmaine Caccioppi, Attorney and United Way of Southeast Louisiana Public Policy Chair Kim Sport, Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence Executive Director Mariah Wineski, and United Way of Southeast Louisiana Public Information Officer Kirby Jane Nagle.
Others in attendance included: Col. Chad Clark, chief of detectives of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Crime Investigations Bureau; Capt. Mark Jackson, assistant chief of detectives of CIB; Lt. Ray Whitfield of CIB; and Gail Gowland, St. Bernard Battered Women’s Shelter executive director.
In addition to the panel discussion, the event also featured a screening of a documentary short “Five Awake,” which follows five women who are tirelessly working to strengthen Louisiana’s domestic violence laws, including information on how they successfully pushed several bills through the 2014 legislative session. These bills have given increased protection to domestic abuse victims, including granting immediate divorce to victims, prohibiting firearms for offenders and increasing the penalties for domestic abuse.
The film, co-directed by Dees, featured the five women whose efforts helped successfully pass the legislative bills: Caccioppi and Sport, along with New Orleans Family Justice Center Director Mary Claire Landry; Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence Executive Director Beth Meeks; and State Rep. Helena Moreno.
Two local women who recently passed as a result of domestic violence, Kim Penney and Rose Blake, were both recognized at the event and participants shared in a moment of silence in their memory.
The event was sponsored by Chalmette Refining.
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