YORK, Pa. — After years of ongoing review, York County is outlining reformed guidelines for combating domestic violence.
The guidelines were announced at a press conference on Thursday morning.
“You can’t stop all evil from happening," said Dave Sunday, York County District Attorney. "[But] with the parameters that we have and the small things we have control over, the question is, can we do those small things even better?”
The county had undergone an extensive review of its policies, following the tragic deaths of Aaminah and Giana Vicosa in 2021.
“After that occurred, just like any major incident you have organizations look into that," said Sunday.
The York County District Attorney's office will help support local law enforcement in lethality assessments to determine the nature of domestic violence cases. The county will also be streamlining the service of Protection from Abuse (PFA) orders.
In addition, York County will be launching a one-year pilot program with the app eBodyGuard.
“Picture your phone becoming a body cam," said George Brauchler, chief justice strategy officer with eBodyGuard.
Brauchler, a former Colorado district attorney, said the app will allow users to call for help faster with the touch of a button. The app will also record audio and video during an emergency.
“Whatever that thing is that’s taking place, it is captured and saved in a stored part of the cloud and becomes available for law enforcement to use later," said Brauchler.
The updated safeguards hope to curb domestic violence while empowering victims throughout York County.
“This is what it comes down to is to make sure people are safe," said Sunday.
The eBodyGuard app will launch in York County in November.