[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 30, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1399]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               NEW WEAPON FOR FIGHTING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

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                           HON. NEWT GINGRICH

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 30, 1996

  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
inform my colleagues of a new initiative in the fight against domestic 
violence.
  Six municipal police departments in Cobb County, which is in the 6th 
District of Georgia, are being equipped with special instant camera 
packages for use in their police cars. The camera packages, which are 
being purchased with donations as part of a public/private partnership, 
will be used to document cases of domestic violence, leading to 
undeniable proof of abusive activity.
  As we are all aware, domestic violence can cause irreparable harm 
with the most devastating effects on our children. Children who grow up 
in an abusive home environment often demonstrate abusive relationships 
later in life with their spouses or children. It's important that we 
break the cycle of violence that is so damaging to the families of 
America.
  I believe that the use of the camera packages will be of great 
assistance to police officers in their fight against domestic violence, 
and I commend Solicitor General Ben Smith, the Polaroid Corp., and 
citizens and civic groups like the Acworth Carrie Dyer Woman's Club for 
their efforts in this endeavor. I would encourage all of my colleagues 
to support similar programs in their own districts.

            [From the Marietta Daily Journal, Apr. 25, 1996]

                      Using Pictures to Prosecute


                   police use cameras to battle abuse

                           (By Dennis Smith)

       In the early morning of July 20, 1994, Glen Troy Bramlett 
     entered the Paulding County home of his estranged wife, 
     Nancy, and their three children, bent on making good on a 
     previous threat to kill his wife.
       Armed with a shotgun, a .44-magnum pistol, a knife and 
     nearly three gallons of gasoline, the Smyrna man murdered his 
     wife of 22 years with two 12-gauge shotgun blasts as the 
     victim slept next to their 2-year-old daughter.
       The slaying occurred just days after Nancy Bramlett filed 
     for divorce, seeking an end to a long and abusive marriage. 
     The toddler was not injured, but evidence at the scene 
     indicated Bramlett intended to kill his children as well. But 
     those plans changed, and Bramlett shot and killed himself 
     instead.
       On Wednesday morning, 16-year-old Jessica Bramlett 
     recounted the story of her shattered family to about 20 
     elected officials and about 30 city and county police 
     officers, as well as a handful of domestic violence victims.
       The group had gathered in a Cobb County courtroom to kick 
     off a fundraising campaign, as both county and municipal 
     officials are focusing their efforts on domestic violence 
     with plans to equip every police cruiser in the county with a 
     new weapon--a Polaroid Instamatic camera.
       Through a public/private partnership with Polaroid, 
     officials hope to raise funds to buy the cameras through 
     donations.
       In honor of Mrs. Bramlett and other victims of domestic 
     violence, authorities are hoping both individuals and 
     businesses will contribute to the Nancy Bramlett Domestic 
     Violence Memorial Fund--which is set up to fund the purchase 
     of at least 230 Polaroid police packages.
       The price tag for each camera package--which includes 
     special lenses, film and other tools for police to gather 
     domestic violence evidence--has been reduced from more than 
     $200 to $59.95.
       The Polaroid Corp. also has agreed to train officers in use 
     of the cameras, which officials say will be used to take 
     pictures of battered women to be used in the prosecution of 
     the men who inflicted the wounds.
       The officers present Wednesday got a crash course in use of 
     the cameras and were allowed to practice their skills on 
     models, whose faces were made up with fake bruises and bloody 
     cuts.
       Cobb Solicitor General Ben Smith, whose office prosecutes 
     most cases of domestic violence and is spearheading the 
     fundraising effort, said the cameras are an important tool in 
     making the case against a wife beater.
       ``Cases of domestic violence are the most difficult to 
     prosecute,'' said Smith, referring to victims who often 
     refuse to cooperate with authorities after the initial 
     incident.
       As an assistant district attorney in 1991, Smith prosecuted 
     Bramlett for making terroristic threats, as the man told his 
     wife he would shoot her when she picked up their children 
     from an elementary school in Smyrna. When Bramlett was 
     arrested at that time, he was armed with two handguns.
       Smyrna police had also investigated incidents of spousal 
     abuse at the couple's home.
       ``Nancy did not want to prosecute,'' Smith said. ``All she 
     would tell me was, `Mr. Smith, you simply don't understand.' 
     ''
       ``Hard evidence is the way to solve these problems,'' 
     Superior Court Judge Mary Staley told the group of officers. 
     ``When you show [the pictures] to a person and say, `You did 
     this!'', it's a very powerful message.''
       Once each police car in Cobb and its six cities is equipped 
     with a camera, Cobb County will be the first community in 
     Georgia and one of only 15 nationwide which have cameras in 
     every police cruiser, said Barbara Poremba, a marketing 
     representative with Polaroid.
       Only a handful of other Georgia communities use instant 
     photography in documenting domestic violence injuries, she 
     said.
       Angela Straker, who survived a gunshot wound to the head 
     that was inflicted by her husband, suffered years of torment 
     at the hands of Charles B. Straker. She told the officers 
     that victims are often reluctant to come forward because they 
     are in an embarrassing situation.
       ``It's very difficult. It's much different than trying to 
     stop a cigarette habit . . . it's like brainwashing,'' said 
     Ms. Straker, who was nearly paralyzed and still has a bullet 
     lodged in her head.
       ``Whenever you're in a situation where you're being choked, 
     beaten,'' she said, ``it's humiliating. It has destroyed my 
     whole life, my whole family''.
       Mrs. Straker, choking back tears, added that when her 
     husband is released from his 20-year prison sentence, her 
     ``nightmare'' will begin all over again.
       Those who wish to contribute to the camera fund can call 
     Jennifer Christian in the Cobb Solicitor's Office at 528-
     8554. Smith said those purchasing a camera can dedicate that 
     purchase in memory or honor of a family member or friend, and 
     an inscription will be placed on that camera.

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