One-on-one with Glenn St. Onge, Domestic Violence Resource Center

Sep. 13—A woman recently walked into the Domestic Violence Resource Center in Downtown Albuquerque and ended up crying in the office of Glenn St. Onge, the executive director.

"She had (experienced) a domestic violence with her husband that morning. She was looking for a divorce. ... She was looking for a restraining order. He was threatening to kill himself," St. Onge said. "Because of my background, I said, 'OK, let's take a breath. ... I was like, 'You're in the right place, but the wrong floor.' So I got her hooked up immediately with one of my advocates. And that's what we do here at the Family Advocacy Center."

St. Onge, a former police officer who retired from the Albuquerque Police Department as a lieutenant after 21 years, in April started directing the DVRC, which is located within the Family Advocacy Center, 625 Silver SW.

The Family Advocacy Center, St. Onge said, is sort of a one-stop shop for victims of crime. There are advocates for domestic violence victims, detectives, sexual assault nurse examiners, New Mexico Legal Aid and other types of resources.

"Say a client needs counseling. ... I can do a warm handoff with a counseling service," he said. "It's such an important facility so a victim doesn't have to drive all around town."

What made you want to be a police officer?

"My whole family has had a life of service. My uncles were Green Berets. Me and all three of my sisters were Navy. My dad was Navy. My grandfather was Navy. I always believed in giving back and a life of service. So I thought, 'What better way than to be a police officer?'

So getting out of the Navy, I saw this old dingy flyer in the transition center — it was called TAPs at the time, Transition Assistance Program — I saw this old, dingy, beat up flyer for Albuquerque police. It was a recruitment flyer. So I called the number, and here I am 30 years later."

How did you end up in this position?

"I volunteered to be on the (DVRC) board to be the law enforcement voice. So I was on the board for almost two years. And when the executive director left, there was a vacuum of leadership. And I'm very big on leadership, and I could see the DVRC was really struggling. So I told the board president, 'When you guys decide to hire, I'll throw my name in the hat.'"

What should the community know about this center?

"We are so busy, and we are understaffed. I'm learning a lot about running a nonprofit. And where (much of) our funding comes from is grants. And they are few and far between. ... It goes back to just getting real savvy with funding and funding sources."

What attributes do your advocates have that allow them to do this job every day?

"They are very strong-willed and empathetic. A lot of my employees are survivors themselves. In law enforcement, I've seen the worst of the worst throughout my career. I've probably taken thousands of domestic violence calls. But I might have one call a night or maybe two DV calls a week. These folks are meeting with three, four, five clients a day. Hearing that trauma, in some ways, you're incurring some of that trauma yourself."

What do you do to decompress?

"Ride motorcycles. During my interview, my board asked me the same question. I was like, 'Look, I've seen a lot of trauma throughout my career, and here I'm kind of at the 30,000-foot view. I'm not so much boots on the ground anymore.'

But spending time with my family. Camping is kind of a big thing in my family."

What are your pet peeves?

"Complaining without a solution. Or maybe I should say getting stuck. ... I'm very oriented in problem-solving. If we have a difficult case, 'OK, let's solve it.' If that's not going to work, let's think outside the box. 'You're in a situation; let's find a solution.' We have lots of people here with different insights. Maybe talk to a detective, talk to a SANE nurse, talk to another advocate: 'What can I do differently to help this victim?'"

Coming from APD, what have you done to learn how to run a nonprofit?

"My certified public accountant is here every Tuesday. I sit down with them for an hour and I'll be like, 'Explain to me that. Explain to me that.' So I'm learning the budget. Learning our funding sources, knowing what I can and can't afford. The biggest challenge I've found so far is funding, and it being recurring funding, because I'm a numbers guy."

THE BASICS: Glenn St. Onge, 49, born San Diego, California, married with three children, bachelor's degree in education.

POSITIONS: Executive director, Domestic Violence Resource Center, April-present; United States Navy, petty officer first class (surface warfare); lieutenant, Albuquerque Police Department (retired).

OTHER: CPR/first aid/AED instructor; New Mexico concealed carry instructor; National Rifle Association, law enforcement division firearms instructor.