ATHENS -  The Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV) recognizes leaders in social justice who work for the betterment of women in Georgia through The Gender Justice Award.

This year’s recipient is Jennifer Waindle. Recipients of this award are chosen based on their history of increasing safety for victims and survivors of domestic violence, enhancing accountability of batterers, and making systemic changes to laws in Georgia – all to eliminate gender inequality.

“The Commission is excited to recognize Jennifer Waindle as the 2017 Gender Justice Award recipient. Ms. Waindle’s commitment to, initiative for, and leadership in holding perpetrators of family violence accountable is meritorious, said Jennifer Thomas, Executive Director of The Georgia Commission on Family Violence.  We commend the work she has done in the state to keep victims of domestic violence safer while strengthening the tools available to our communities to keep firearms out of the hands of abusers.”   

Jennifer Waindle spearheaded the DeKalb DV Firearms Reduction Protocol in 2012, in collaboration with then-Chief Solicitor General Jenni Stolarski. The Protocol consists of a “Firearms/Ammunition Notice,” which probationers must sign immediately after sentencing. It requires probationers to answer a series of questions on firearm and ammunition ownership and possession.

One of the biggest accomplishments of this protocol is it allows probation officers to request warrants and arrest those probationers who are in possession of a firearm and ammunition that violates the firearms provisions. The initiative has fostered many relationships in DeKalb County and received both local and national recognition for its success.

“I’m honored to be recognized for my part in our progress, but would like to acknowledge and thank so many of my colleagues for their unwavering dedication to this cause. We have a common goal of saving lives and making our community safer, and it takes all of us working together to make it happen,” Waindle said.

The Commission’s twenty-third annual family violence conference was held at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia on November 7-9, 2017. The theme of this year’s conference was Maintaining Our Momentum: Proven and Promising Practices to End Family Violence. Over 400 local and national community stakeholders including: judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, advocates, survivors, faith leaders, counselors and community members participated in the conference.

About Jennifer Waindle: Jennifer Waindle is an Investigator with the DeKalb County District Attorney. Prior to her current role, she was a Supervisor for DeKalb County State Court Probation where she was responsible for overseeing the policies and practices of Intensive Supervision for Domestic Violence probationers, a specialized unit that works from a systems perspective to enhance victim safety and defendant accountability. Ms. Waindle conducts training for various agencies across Georgia. She has designed and implemented policies and procedures regarding the monitoring of high-risk domestic violence probationers for officers and has mentored other probation agencies in Georgia. In 2014, she implemented the first formal firearms protocol in the State of Georgia on a misdemeanor level aimed at retrieving firearms from probationers and enforcing the federal firearms ban for persons convicted of family violence offenses.

About GCFV: The Georgia Commission on Family Violence, created by The Georgia General Assembly in 1992, is charged with developing a comprehensive state plan for ending family violence in Georgia. If you or someone that you know is being impacted by domestic violence, call 1-800-334-2836 to speak with a domestic violence advocate.

Contact Information:

For more information, please contact Jennifer Thomas at [email protected]