Kurgan and Appleton have been Sister Cities since about 1986.  Since that time there have been exchanges between students at the universities, between the mayors of the two cities, and several medical delegations.  The Appleton Police Department has also developed strong ties with their counterparts in Kurgan.

The first exchange program between law enforcement professionals from Kurgan and Appleton occurred in 1994.  In 1998 the partnership was awarded a Domestic Violence Prevention Grant from Sister Cities International and the U.S. State Department.  This grant was extended once.  The grant provided for the opportunity for professionals from both communities to participate in exchange visits to share information and ideas on the topic of domestic violence prevention and intervention. 

THE EXCHANGES

The following lists the exchanges that have taken place so far and identifies the participants.

• September 14-October 3, 1994.  This was the first exchange which was sponsored by the Appleton Police Benevolent Association.  Colonel Yury Zhirov, a high-ranking police official with the Kurgan Regional Police Department participated.  He was joined by Laura Zhirova, an English professor at Kurgan State University, who served as translator for this exchange as well as all future exchanges.  They were able to visit the Appleton Police Department for nineteen days to share and exchange ideas about policing in their respective communities and countries.    

• September 17-October 5, 1996.  Three police officials from the Appleton Police Department traveled to Kurgan to continue the exchange of policing ideas.  The participants included Lt. Julie Bahr, Sgt. Randall Cook, and Officer Scott Liske.  The participants funded this trip on their own but the Appleton Police Department allowed them to go as a duty assignment.

• March 13-22, 1999.  This was the first exchange under the Domestic Violence Prevention-l grant.  Appleton Police Captains Julie Bahr and Peter Helein traveled to Kurgan as coordinators for the grant.  They went there to learn about the domestic violence issues in Kurgan and to begin the exchange of ideas about prevention and intervention strategies.

• September 13-27, 1999.  Several law enforcement officials from Kurgan traveled to Appleton to see first hand what resources Appleton has to prevent and intervene in domestic violence situations.  They participated in training to learn about domestic violence dynamics, legal issues, and community strategies.  The participants were:

• Yuri Gorokhov-chief of the Kurgan Regional Police Crime Lab.

• Victor Polovnikov-detective supervisor in the Kurgan Regional Police Department (more recently he has been promoted to Chief of the City of Kurgan Police Department)

• Oleg Ekimov-senior patrol inspector and supervisor of district patrol officers for the City of Kurgan Police Department.

• Laura Zhirova-Kurgan State University English professor and liaison to the domestic violence partners in both countries.

• November 26-December 7, 1999.  Four Americans traveled to Kurgan to continue the exchange of information and do more formal training about domestic violence issues.  Each of the participants had a great deal of expertise on the topic of domestic violence.  The members of the delegation were:

• Pete Helein-a Captain with the Appleton Police Department who has extensive expertise and experience in organizing community partnerships in domestic violence prevention and intervention, as well as training police officers about domestic violence issues.

• Beth Schnorr-the director of Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs in Appleton.  She has been instrumental in the success of the coordinated community response to domestic violence in the Appleton area and has extensive experience working with victims of domestic violence.

• Mitch Metropulos-an assistant district attorney with the Outagamie County District Attorney's Office in Appleton.  He has prosecuted many criminal cases involving domestic violence.

• MaryAdele Revoy-the former director of a women's center at Idaho State University.  She has experience working as a victim's advocate and has done training for police officers on domestic violence issues.

• June 21-July 1, 2000.  Three Kurgan representatives traveled to Appleton.  They attended many tours and meetings and were exposed to some of the things that the Appleton community is doing in the area of domestic violence prevention and intervention.  An all day meeting was held where the accomplishments under the Domestic Violence Prevention-l grant were reviewed and a plan of action for the future under the Domestic Violence Prevention-ll grant was discussed.  The group then traveled to Denver, Colorado to attend the Domestic Violence Prevention Workshop and the Sister Cities International Conference.  Also attending the activities in Colorado were: Julie Bahr (Appleton Police Department), Beth Schnorr (Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs), and Mitch Metropulos (Outagamie County District Attorney's Office).  The Russian participants were some of the key partners.  They were:

• Yury Zhirov, Deputy Chief of the Kurgan Regional Police Department.

• Lily Voronova, President of the Kurgan Women Scholar's organization.  This organization is actively involved in community education programs concerning domestic violence prevention and gender issues in the Kurgan region.

• Laura Zhirova, translator and facilitator.

• April 16-24, 2001.  Several professionals from Kurgan who have been active in domestic violence prevention work in their community traveled to Appleton to enhance their knowledge and skills.  They included:

• Elena Antolyevna Tarasenko, a sociology professor at Kurgan State University.  She is a member of the Kurgan Women Scholar's organization.

• Galina Michailovna Samoilova, a linguistics professor at Kurgan State University.  She is the head of the Young Journalists Club in Kurgan and is active in the Women Scholar's organization.

• Tatyana Alexandrovna Cherepanova, the Deputy Head of the Social Welfare Department of the Kurgan Region.  She oversees many social programs that assist children and adults with special needs.

• Vladimir Yegorovich Dyuryagin, a colonel with the Kurgan Regional Police Department who is the commander of the patrol police.

• Alexander Yuryevich Inozemtsev, a colonel and the commander of the Kurgan Regional Police Training School.

• Laura Zhirova, translator.

• September 21-October 5, 2001.  Continued networking occurred between the Appleton and Kurgan partners when several members of the Appleton team traveled to Kurgan.  Two of the members had been actively involved in all of the domestic violence prevention work and were able to access the progress that has been made in the Kurgan community.  The participants were:

• Beth Schnorr, director of Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs in Appleton.

• Julie Bahr, captain of the Appleton Police Department.

• Pat Matuszewski, a lieutenant with the Appleton Police Department.  Pat is a member of the Outagamie County Domestic Violence Intervention Team and is the Appleton Police Department's liaison to Harbor House.

• March 1-19, 2002.  Two members of the Kurgan community who have been instrumental in the domestic violence prevention programs there were invited to participate in an intensive program of job shadowing and exposure to many facets of the Appleton social service programs which support domestic violence programs.  Much of their time was spent working with the staff at Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs to learn how they provide services in the community.  The participants were:

• Tatyana Cherepanova, deputy director of the Kurgan Regional Social Welfare Department

• Laura Zhirova, translator and liaison to the Appleton and Kurgan partners.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

A great deal has been accomplished in both the Kurgan and Appleton communities because of the partnerships between individuals and organizations which have been involved in the exchanges of personnel and Domestic Violence Prevention grants.  There are many tangible results for both communities, as well as intangible results that the individual participants have received.  In addition to the exchanges, emails which have been too numerous to count, have been exchanged between the partners giving updates, sharing information, providing information, and offering encouragement.

Here are some of the tangible results that have occurred in the Kurgan Region:

• A 24-hour domestic violence hotline run by the Kurgan Regional Administration Social Welfare Department.

• Three large conferences on the topics of domestic violence and gender sponsored by the Women Scholar's organization.  Research papers on the topics were published and extensive media coverage was received.

• Domestic violence prevention and intervention training added to the curriculum at the Kurgan Regional Police Training School.

• Numerous community education presentations on the topic of domestic violence offered to school children as well as adults.

• Public service announcements on television speaking out against domestic violence.

• Patients seen at the Kurgan Maternity Hospital and the Shchuchye Primary Care Clinic are now asked if they have been a victim of domestic violence, as part of their health screening.

• Publication of several issues of the magazine, "I am a Woman of the 21st Century," prepared by the Women Scholar's.

• Several beds are now available at a homeless shelter for women and children who need refuge from violent relationships.

• For the first eleven months of 2001 there was an 8% decrease in domestic violence crimes, as compared to the same time period in 2000.

• The Women Scholar's have started a library at Kurgan State University that contains information about gender studies and domestic violence.

• Professors in the English Department at Kurgan State University use gender issues and domestic violence as the topic of in depth discussions for their students to improve their English language skills.  They are also encouraged to write their research and term papers on gender issues.

• The Kurgan Regional Police Department adapted some of the crime prevention materials they obtained from the Appleton Police Department and developed their own materials.

• With support from the Domestic Violence grants, the Kurgan Regional Police Department was able to upgrade some of their computer equipment to establish a database of domestic violence offenders and problem locations.

• Written directives have been created to assist police investigators dealing with domestic violence cases.

• There has been an increased awareness within the community of the effects of domestic violence on children.

• Regional laws, in addition to previously existing federal laws, have been developed to deal with domestic violence.

• Other women's organizations, some professional and some social, have come together to discuss domestic violence and family problems.

• The Women Scholar's organization has created a quality website (www.women-scholars.zaural.ru)

Here are some of the tangible results that have occurred in the Appleton community as a result of the increased networking of professionals involved in the various exchanges:

• A representative was selected to serve on the Winnebago County Coordinated Community Response Team for domestic violence prevention.

• Training on the topic of domestic violence prevention is now included in the police recruit academy at Fox Valley Technical College.

• A system of issuing a warrant when a domestic violence offender can not be located on the scene was established.

• Harbor House Domestic Abuse programs provided domestic violence training to Fox Cities medical professionals, some of whom were involved in the healthcare grant exchanges with the Kurgan Region.

• A link has been established between Harbor House and the Gender Studies Program at Lawrence University in Appleton.

• Increased media coverage has drawn attention to the domestic violence problem within the Fox Cities.

• Participants have gained a global perspective on the issue of violence against women.

• Numerous presentations about Russia have been given to students in their sociology and geography classes by those who have been there on exchanges.

THE FUTURE

A major challenge facing the partners is to seek additional funding to continue the work.  Until additional funding can be found, the exchange of ideas and information will continue via the Internet.  During one of the exchanges, someone expressed the concept that these exchanges are opportunities to plant seeds of knowledge.  Our Russian partners responded by saying "now we will become good gardeners."  This is the continuing challenge--to properly tend to what has been planted and see what we can grow for the next generation.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Feel free to contact Appleton Police Captain Julie Bahr at julie.bahr@appleton.org with any comments or questions concerning this program.