Over the past ten years Marion County leads the state of Iowa in the lowest number of domestic violence cases dismissed.

Marion County dismisses 19 percent of the cases they see which is much lower than other counties that see dismissal rates as high as 82 percent.

County Attorney Ed Bull credits his staff and the work they do with local law enforcement for keeping the dismissal rate so low. He says him and his staff are constantly talking with law enforcement about techniques that can be used to bring resolutions to a domestic violence case. Bull says one of the areas of emphasis has been the difference between a witness centered case and and evidence based prosecution.

Bull adds, law enforcement officers don’t just take the report of the victim, they also interview many who know the people involved and they gather as much evidence as possible.

Assistant County Attorney Nicole Olson says they try to build with other pieces of evidence to still hold the person responsible.

Bull says, those additional items gathered and taking the time to fully investigate make it possible for the county to pursue a case even if the victim refuses to testify.