PARIS – The Oxford County Sheriff’s Office has received a $37,841 grant to keep domestic violence from reoccurring.

The money will be used to institute a new program using sheriff’s office resources, said Lt. Hart Daley.

Domestic violence is the largest safety issue in Maine. The Oxford County Sheriff’s office gets about 100 domestic-related calls each year, and about 86 of them result in criminal offenses, Daley said.

Pairs of officers will go unannounced to the homes of victims whose cases are open or victims with protection orders, Daley said. During the visits officers will determine if the victims had any contact with the offenders.

“If they find a violation the suspect will be arrested on sight,” Daley said.

The officers will also provide the victim with support assistance, Daley said.

All officers in the department will be trained to partake, Daley said, with $2,000 of the grant funds allocated for training.

Daley came to the sheriff’s department after working as the domestic violence investigator with the Lewiston Police Department. There he said he worked with a similar program.

The Lewiston Police Department has had some form of this program since 1992, said Lt. James Minkowsky, although it has grown significantly since then. The response to the program has been fairly positive among the victims, he said.

While working at Lewiston, Daley said he learned that the visits had to be unannounced.

“If we call in advance and schedule ahead of time, the offender will know we’re coming,” Daley said.

The program is intended to hold abusers more accountable and give the victims a stronger sense of security and independence, Daley said.

In every domestic violence case, offenders are prohibited from having contact with the victims while the case is ongoing, Daley said.

“The victim will allow the suspect back into the home for a variety of reasons,” Daley said, whether it be money, child issues or threats.

“(This) is an effort to provide the victim with more safety,” he said.

These checks will continue until the case is over, unless the victim requests them to continue. The frequency will depend on the severity of the case, Daley said.

During the visits, officers will have a photo and information on the suspect in hand, so if the suspect is found in the home no one can lie about their identity, Daley said.

The grant funds the program for one year, Daley said. If it is successful, the department will reapply.