PARIS – The Oxford County Sheriff’s Office has received $84,000 from the feds to keep an investigator focused on domestic violence crimes.

It is the third year the Sheriff’s Office has received such a grant. In its first year, the department received $37,841 to perform safety checks on victims and plaintiffs with active protection from abuse orders. Last year, the department received $68,996 to create a full-time paid position within the criminal investigation division and fund safety checks.

“We’re going to increase our efforts to do bail checks on domestic violence offenders,” said Detective Tom Harriman, the domestic violence investigator. “We have done some to date, but we’re hoping to increase our reports in that area.

Lt. Hart Daley said the funds come from a STOP Violence Against Women formula grant, with $750,000 available this year for Maine. Of that amount, $290,000 was available specifically for law enforcement agencies.

The grant will fund Harriman’s position through 2009.

While local police departments will respond to a domestic violence report, the domestic violence investigator will follow up within 72 hours. The investigator will review the responding officers’ report, make sure the victim is aware of available services, and occasionally collect additional evidence or assist with apprehending a suspect.

Safety checks involve visiting victims after the crime, and are usually conducted once a week. If no one is at home, the department leaves a card with contact information and checks in with family or neighbors to make sure the victim is safe.

Bail checks are similar to safety checks, but deputies will make contact with a domestic violence plaintiff and make sure that they are abiding by bail conditions.

“There’s no sense having these conditions on these offenders if they’re not checked frequently,” Harriman said.

He said that since Oct. 1, 2007, the Sheriff’s Office has conducted 228 domestic violence followups, which led to 13 arrests. In that time, there were also 50 safety checks on 278 victims or plaintiffs.

Harriman and Daley, as well as certain other officers, are commissioned through the Attorney General’s Office, which allows them to pursue a domestic violence suspect even if they have left the county.

Daley said that while domestic violence has always been a problem, more crimes have been reported in recent years due to increased education and law enforcement.

“We’re working hard, diligently, to remove domestic violence in our communities,” Daley said.

Harriman said domestic violence has been a serious problem in Maine, with more than half of this year’s homicides related to domestic issues.

“I really appreciate the opportunity to work in this position,” Harriman said. “It’s been the best year of my career.”