Center For Women And Families Honors Mike O’Connell With Public Service Award

Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell received The Center for Women and Families’ Public Service Award during the nonprofit’s annual report to the community Wednesday evening.

The award, presented by Kentuckiana’s domestic violence and rape crisis center, recognizes a public figure who has gone above and beyond to aid The Center’s mission.

“This is a real honor for me,” O’Connell said.

The award was first given in 1991 to Mary O’Doherty of The Courier-Journal. Since then, notable individuals receiving the award include Jerry Abramson, David Armstrong, Judi Patton, Anne Northrup and John Yarmuth.

O’Connell’s office has committed resources for a dedicated unit for domestic violence cases and was a founding partner in the city’s 24-hour Domestic Violence Intake Center (DVIC). In 2016, the office prosecuted nearly 4,000 cases domestic violence and sexual assault cases and earned more than a 90 percent conviction rate.

O’Connell also helped secure $150,000 in federal funding for staffing and support of the DVIC in 2016, three times as much federal funding as the DVIC had ever received in a single year.