BWJP Welcomes Jennifer Waindle as the Project Director of the National Center on Improving Community Supervision Responses
BWJP Welcomes Jennifer Waindle as the Project Director of the National Center on Improving Community Supervision Responses
Jennifer Waindle joins BWJP with extensive experience in domestic violence prevention and law enforcement. She has spent more than 17 years in various leadership roles in DeKalb County in metro Atlanta, helping protect victims and investigate and prosecute offenders while advancing lifesaving law enforcement programs throughout the state of Georgia.
Most recently, she was a Senior Investigator in the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office where she co-led a newly formed Firearm Violence Prevention Unit focused on firearm assaults and homicides by serial offenders with an extensive domestic violence or felony background. Prior to Jennifer’s work with the District Attorney’s Office, she was a Supervisor for DeKalb County State Court Probation. There she developed and implemented the policies and procedures for Intensive Supervision of Domestic Violence Probationers. Additionally, she mentored other probation and parole agencies in Georgia to develop specialized domestic violence units aimed at offender accountability while also assisting survivors and their families.
“BWJP is excited to have Jennifer as the Project Director of the National Center on Improving Community Supervision Responses,” said BWJP CEO Amy J. Sánchez. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in firearms violence prevention and implementing law enforcement programs. We look forward to having her help us carry out our mission of changing systems and transforming lives."
Q: What brought you into the field of gender-based violence?
I started my career in the Probation/Parole field and after my first year I was assigned a domestic violence caseload. It was a learning curve in the beginning as interpersonal violence cases don’t just involve offender monitoring, if you’re doing it well. They involve check-ins with survivors and other family members in the home whether the offender re-enters the home or not. There are so many dynamics inside that one casefile and not many agencies treat those cases with a special lens. I quickly sought out other community advocates, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement along the way as mentors that supported treating these cases as specialized and I appreciated the challenge and satisfaction working these cases provided. In my nearly 18 years of law enforcement in different roles, 16 of those years were in the field of misdemeanor and felony family violence cases and it was an honor to do that direct service work.
Q: What drew you to BWJP?
I first heard of BWJP in 2015 when I was invited to a national Forum on Domestic Violence and Firearms. I have had the pleasure of working with BWJP off and on since that time sharing my probation centered firearm surrender protocol. I also have attended many of their webinars as a student to learn about the various projects they have supported around the country. The work BWJP has done in their many decades of service has been so important to so many and I’m excited to join the team and contribute to the organization’s mission.
Q: What are you most looking forward to working at BWJP?
I believe BWJP is growing at an impressive pace to provide new resources while still maintaining the foundations of the important work they have already accomplished. I’m looking forward to endless collaboration possibilities within the Centers at BWJP and assisting our local, state, and federal partners around the country.
Q: How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
If I’m on vacation I’m traveling somewhere. I enjoy places off the beaten path like caving in New Zealand to find glow worms, hiking glaciers in Iceland, or taking food tours of a new cuisine. If there’s a new place for me to discover I’m looking for a bike/hike/kayaking tour - I’m ready for the challenge!
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