News Scrapbook 1986

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) San Diego Union (Ci r. D. 217,089) (Cir. S . 341,840) AP

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) San Diego Union (Cir. D. 217,089) (Cir. S. 341,840)

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Panelurgeschahges t0he1p crime victims By Lorie Hearn Slaff Writer might help prompt changes in a sys- tem that treats crime victims as "forgotten people."

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Seventeen months after his daugh- ter was murdered, John Swanke de- scribes hi lingering hurt in simple terms. "Anne ironed my shirts," he said. "Every time I put on a shirt I have to iron myself or a shirt my wife irons. 1t reminds us of our loss .. When does that pass? We don't know That's what I mean by hurt." Swanke's public remarks yester- day about his nightmares and his fru 'lrations with agencies that deal with crime victims were rare for the philosophy profes or at University of San Diego. Bu Swanke, whose 22-year-old daughter, Anne Catherine, was ab- ducted and murdered in November 1984, said he thought his comments

Swanke's talk preceded the release of a report by the San Diego Task Force on Victims of ·crime. a com- mittee formed a year ago during Vic- tims' Rights Awareness Week. The report, with recommendations for law enforcement agencies, law- yers, judges, the medical profession and the Legislature, is being circu- lated among the agencies and among state legislators as this year's week of ob ervance begins Monday. The nine-member task force is headed by Assemblyman Larry Stirl- ing, R-San Diego, and sponsored by the Califorma Center on V1ctimolo- gy. It interviewed 25 victims of

John w nko with Victoria Garcia, director of victims cen- ter. Swanke' d ughter was murdered in 1984.

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numbness of hock oftened and the pam et in, Swanke said Vidim have trouble with everyday prob !em such as jobs and finance , he aid Then th re is getting through the court tnal that often follows The ta k force noted Swanke's con• cern . V1chms often perceive the crim1- nal justice system "with a sen e of awe. r pect and inflated expecta- tions," its report says 'What they discover is a system that 1s un- respon 1Ve, even abusive, and some- times ho tile to victim concerns." To re pond to the problems. the committee recommended traimng of profes ional · m all agencie:., includ- ing the court system, to increa_e en• s1tlv1ly and t" make them more aware of referral agencies. The task force urged law enforce- ment officials to keep Victims in- formed about the progress of their cnminal cases, lo discourage delay , to promptly return their property

against them. The committee suggested an y ·tern for witnesses. Judges . hould order frnancial re tltution, it aid, and make certain that victims have been notihed of their right to peak out at sentencmg The ta k fOTce asked that business- e.~ authorize paid leave for v1ct1ms who must testify or who are mcapac- itated by a violent attack and that private contributio rr de to vic- tims' aid programs Finally, the ta legal services and co n e I g It also sugge ted a law that would require that notice of c urt hearings be sent to victim~ and that victims be allowed to give wntten state- ments at the time a plea bargain is agreed upon in their cases. 'on call' legislation to en u dre es of victim a lie or available to t that funds be al oc r v1ct1ms'

The San Diego Union/Jerry McClard testants from nine teams from USO, UCSD and San Diego State University had to race 50 yards, jump In a car, buckle up, then tag a teammate. Alspaugh's team won.

Safety first: Michele Alspaugh unbuckles during the Great Intercollegiate Buckle-Up relays at the University of San Diego. In the races, a seat beltsafety prorTR>tlon, con-

Through it recommendations, the ta k force ho to bring public at• entlon to the phghl of victim of vto- ent cnm and to encourag changes n th agenci that d al with them "It ot good enough to talk about how we pity, 1ctims or how badly we f I ' Garcia said. "At this point, they are the forgotten people m the crimi- nal just1c y tern" It took Ix week after his daugh- ter's body was found in a remote area of prmg Valley before the

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) Evening Tribune (Cir. D. 127,454)

Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles Col Times (San Diego Ed.I (Cir. D 50,0101 (Cir. S 55,5731 APR 191!86

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P C. B a,R / US'Qwtorµive aid A ~ inf p?ogram for elementa- ry school children in Southeast San Diego has b€en in~ugurated by the u~D1ego. Sister Betsy Walsh, faculty super- visor• said 35 USD .students are teaching English, reading and math- ematics at five elementary schools _ Balboa Elementary, Our Lady of the Angels, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Jude and Sherman_ Ele_mentary. Tutor Joni Iglinsk1 said 85 to_ 95 percent of the children ar~ Spamsh- speaking. Sister Walsh said. she ex- pects to continue the ~utormg pro- gram this summer and m the fall. '

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295< !Crime Victims Should Be Sensitively Treated, S.D. Task Force Finds By Kii 7 OWENS, Times Staff Writer

San DI g o, CA (San Die o Co) Ev nlng Tribune (Cir. D. 127,454)

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San Diego professor, knows from personaf experience the painful helplessness that one often feels after a personal tragedy. The re- port is dedicated to the memory of his daughter , Anne Cather ine Swanke, who was violently mur- dered over a year ago In San Diego, "We still feel the pain of her loss. I do not think I really appreciated the meaning of the word victim until I became one by suffering the tragic loss of a beautiful daugh - ter.... The pain comes from the sudden thrust into the public eye, the confusion as a result of the strong emotional e~rience, and the lack of any organized and directed assistance when tragedy and disaster strike," he said. "The stress of anger, sorrow and sadness is heightened by the strangeness of dealing with the system, which has its job to do. Workers within the system try to be thoughtful and sensitive but there is no way they can make the experience pleasant for the vic- tims," he said. Still. the report offers some sug- gestions on how to make it easier. For example, tbe report asks that the media participate often m the production of public service an • nouncements and public awareness campaigns to inform the public of victim concerns. The report also suggests that police officers give a high priority to investigating wit - ness reports of threats or intimida - tion. As for the medical community, the report indicates a need for a mandatory personnel training pro- gram that would sensitize -ttiem to victims' needs. The report also said that hospital staff should be trained on the effects of post traumatic stress disorder.

Pohce officers, reporters, doctors and others who deal with the victims of violent crimes can and should do more to show sensitivity to them. a crime victim task force said Friday. In a brief press conference, the San Diego Task Force on Victims of Crime presented the results of A'. task force study that seeks to give insight into the agony of victims and outline suggel!1.1ons on how to minimize their pain. The primary purpose of the re - port, which haa been in the making for about a year, is to offer advice to the various professionals that deal with crime victims on how to be both more effecti ve and more sen- sitive in their trealment of them. "The victim, first, last and al- ways is a V1ctim. However, tD the phys1c1an, the victim is also a patient. To the police and prosecu- tor, both victim and witness. To the reporter, both Victim and source of public interest and information. Professionals often retreat into their professional roles when con - fron ted with a victim of crime, which has built into it some inher- ent distance between the server and the served," said Victoria Gar- cia, executive director of the Cali- fornia Center on Yictimoiogy. Gar- cia said that the report 1s the only one of its kind in the state. About a year ago, the center orgamzed the task force to com- memorate National Victims' Rights Week. The group later organized a day of teRlimony by more than 30 cr ime v1ct1ms, each of whom shared the experiences with the media, the cou rts, the clergy and others. The report 1s largely the result of that testimony. Garcia said. Danna Yoder, a task force spokesperson, said copies of the report will be circulated "as widely as possible" to the various agencies that deal with cnme victims. Task force members are hopeful the report will open peoples' eyes to lhe pain that cnme .Yictims suffer, Garcia said. Dr. John Swanke, a University of ------

V Gr up airs ideas for assisting crime victims By Pre t~ regano It was during last year's awareness week that been financial loss.

• The news media sbould ban printing the name and address of any victim of violent crime. Recommendations were also made to clergy, "We feel these are definitive recommendations for systemic change," Garcia said. "Al this point, crime victims are the forgotten people in the She said copies of the task force report will be sent to law-enforcement officials and other pro- fessionals named in the report, as well as all state The report was dedicated to the memory of Anne Catherine Swanke, a. USP studept who in late 1984 was found murdered in Spring Valley a few days after she disappeared from her parents' probation officers, and lawyers. criminal-justice system." legislators.

the task force was formed to conduct a public hearing on the effects of violent crime on victims, their relatives and close friends. Assemblyman Larry Stirling. R-San Diego, was chairman of the

task force.

Among more than 60 specific recommendations,

the ta 'k force report said:

mendations by the San Diego Task 1m Victims were made yesterday at a news conf rence conducted at the University of San D1 go by the Cahfornta Center on Victimolo- gy, a rporat1on et up m 1984 to provide counsel- ing and fmanc1al and technical help to local crime victuns Victoria Garcia, executive director of the cen- ter, said the recommendation coincide with the begmning of allonal Victims' Rights Awareness Week. ore on

• Police departments should ensure that vie- tims of violent crime are periodically informed of the status and completion of investigations. • Police should be aware of local services

available to victims.

• Prosecutors should ensure the opportunity for

victims to be heard by the court.

• Judges should allow for and give appropriate weight to victim statements at sentencing and should order financial restitution where there has

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San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) Evening Tribune (Cir. D. 127,454)

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) San Diego Union (Cir. D. 217,089) (Cir. S . 341,840)

APR 2 2 1986

APR 2O 1 86

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USO ORCHESTR~ sifV1irsan Dieg H nrv Kolar, wilfl)e tod y In the c

David Allen Lucas, charged with murdermg six people ? attemptmg to murder one, will leave the county jail Friday for the first time in 16 months. Superior Court Judge Franklin B. Orfield said yester- day th_at he will all~w Lucas to go under armed guard with his attor~ey, Wilham Saunders of the county public defender~ office, to the sheriff's crime laboratory at 3520 Kurtz St. m the Midway District. At the lab, Lucas w11l look through 30 boxes of materi- als e1zed in a December 1984 search of his home. S un~ers told Orfield that he needed Lucas' help to determme whether the materials were legitimate evi- dence or should be suppressed. Lucas is scheduled for trial June 4 on charges of mur- dermg Suzanne Jacobs, 31, and her son, Colin, 3, on May 4,

1979, in their Normal Heights home; and of murdering :ea! est~te saleswoman Gayle Garcia, 29, on Dec. 8, 1981, ma Sprmg Valley home she was showing to prospective renters. . Lucas also faces an Aug. 25 trial on charges of murder- mg Rhon~a Strang, 24, and a child she was baby-sitting, Amber Fisher, 3, on Oct. 23, 1984, in Strang s Lakeside horn~; of murdering Anne Catherine Swanxe, 22, a Uni- versrtl{ of San Diego student last seen alive 'ov. walking toward her car with a can of gasoline on Park- way Drive in La Mesa; and of kidnapping and attempting to murder Jody Santiago, 34, a Seattle woman who sur- vived a throat slashing, a skull fracture and stab wounds on June 9, 1984.

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"It is the goal of the task force ... that the readers of this report apply the recommendations ... to their own special discipline and become actively involved in the effort to gwe the victims of crime a voice which can be heard," Garcia said. --------------------------'/