Tucson officers learn why strangulation is a deadly warning sign

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) - Investigators from more than 40 agencies gathered at the Tucson Convention Center for specialized training on strangulation cases.

Officials say these cases can be difficult to recognize and investigate. They can also provide important warning signs of future violence.

The four-day training is bringing together law enforcement, medical professionals and first responders to learn what to look for and how to document injuries that may not be visible in strangulation cases. Officials say when someone is strangled, there may be little or no visible evidence that an attack even happened.

That can make these cases different from other types of assaults, both for the people responding to the scene and for the victim.

"What we know about strangulation is it can be fatal in the matter of minutes and oftentimes there are no injuries or marks," Dallas Wilson, a Tucson Police detective, said. "We would need a hospital staff to go in and do advanced scans and procedures to go in and document those injuries and prevent death."

That means investigators may have to look beyond what they can see at the scene. This week's training, led by Alliance for Hope International, covers how to interview victims, identify potential evidence and work with medical professionals to document what happened.

"Our focus in this training is to really help professionals figure out how to deal with strangulation cases," Casey Gwinn, Alliance for Hope International founder, said. "They are just different than other types of domestic violence cases and these guys are the most dangerous guys we deal with in domestic violence."

There's another reason officials say getting these cases right is so important. Strangulation can be a warning sign of escalating domestic violence, particularly when an intimate partner is the one causing harm.

"We know victims who have been strangled are severely at a much higher risk of being murdered by their intimate partner," Wilson said. "Being able to accurately investigate these cases and prosecute them not only makes the victim safer but ultimately we want to help other victims and save lives."

Organizers say the goal is to take what's learned here back to agencies across Southern Arizona so responders know how to better handle these cases.