Lawmaker proposes shielding the names of those arrested on domestic violence charges

The aim isn’t to protect the suspects, but rather the victims. “When someone is arrested for domestic violence, it’s not hard to deduce who was abused,” Camillo said. By keeping the names and addresses of domestic violence suspects out of the police blotter — and out of the news media — the victims identities would also be shielded.

And that might make victims more likely to report abuse to the police, said Camillo, who discussed the matter with law enforcement officials before putting forth the measure. “People are hesitant to place the call and live with an intolerable situation,” he said. For victims, who have to face their neighbors and live in their communities, such a law could offer a measure of security.

Shielding the names of domestic violence suspects was not among the bills put forth by the legislature’s task force on domestic violence.  

But public safety committee Co-Chairman Rep. Steve Dargan, D-West Haven, said lawmakers will review Camillo’s proposal. The committee has scheduled a hearing on the measure for March 4.

“You want to try and protect the victim,” Dargan said, “but there are sensitive issues and we just have to figure out what’s best.”