DuPage County’s new tool in fighting domestic abuse: a QR code that points to help
Fire and police agencies in DuPage County will use a new QR code to help victims of domestic abuse. The code will send victims to a security-conscious website that discreetly offers information.
DuPage County police and paramedics can now offer victims of domestic violence and abuse a more discreet way to learn about help — a QR code that, when they scan it with their phones, leads to a special website.
The idea came from John Caldwell, a fire medic with the Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District. Caldwell said paramedics often are called to treat people they suspect have been injured by an abuser. They try to give the victim a “tear sheet” that lists agencies that can help them.
“The issue we ran into is we did not want to send them back into the home [where the abuser is] with a sheet,” Caldwell said.
And sometimes, victims refuse to take the sheet, afraid their abusers will find it, he said. Authorities say the abusers may attack their victims just for possessing that information or seeking help.
Caldwell is part of the steering committee for the DuPage Family Violence Coordinating Council, which developed the QR code with the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.
The QR code will take users to a dummy website, where they can then click on a link to get access to a real website with information about agencies that can help them, the court process for prosecuting abusers and how to get orders of protection, find shelter, get legal aid and more.
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