DOVER-FOXCROFT – Women at risk in domestic violence situations will soon have an added layer of protection provided by the Cole Family Foundation.

The foundation is working with law enforcement in 10 communities to test a computerized system that will allow police to provide a safety net for victims. Dover-Foxcroft was selected as one of the test locations for the system.

Domestic violence statistics in the state are sobering. Every 97 minutes, someone is the victim of a domestic assault and more than half of the homicides are cases of domestic violence, according to the Maine Domestic Abuse Homicide Review Panel.

The in-home alarm was proposed through the Cole Family Foundation’s humanitarian assistance program.

“We thought it was a good fit in what is needed out in the community,” Gary Cole, the foundation’s president, said Friday.

So, too, does Lt. Scott Arno of the Dover-Foxcroft Police Department, who also serves as domestic violence investigator for the Piscataquis County District Attorney’s Office.

“It’s going to provide another safety net for domestic violence victims who are at a higher risk,” Arno said Friday.

He said the foundation plans to loan the devices to the police departments during the testing stage. If the testing is successful and proves to be beneficial, towns may be eligible for grant funds to purchase the units.

While similar alarm systems are now in use in some courtrooms and in other states, this is believed to be the first time an in-home alarm system has been proposed for victims of domestic abuse in Maine.

The system involves an alarm contained in a case which would be taken to a victim’s home. The sensors on the alarm can be activated by the victim or automatically by sensors placed on windows and doors.

If in immediate danger, the victim would hit a panic button that would broadcast a prerecorded message to police at the station and over the two-way radios in their vehicles, according to Arno. The police response would be immediate, much faster than having a victim call 911, he said. The device would help only one victim at a time.

“Without this organization we would never be able to attain this,” Arno said. “We’re just very appreciative the Cole Family Foundation is continuing its efforts to provide assistance to victims throughout the state of Maine.”