Domestic violence registry to launch Thursday in Tennessee
Savanna Puckett, the Robertson County corrections deputy who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2022. State lawmakers named Savanna’s Law after her, creating a domestic violence registry. (From: Robertson County Sheriff’s Office)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Tennessee is set to make history when the calendar flips to 2026 this week.
A tool to hold those convicted of domestic violence accountable.
In 2022, Savanna Puckett was a correctional deputy for the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office in Middle Tennessee.
That is when she was killed in her home by her ex-boyfriend, James Conn, according to our sister station in Nashville WTVF.
They say Conn shot her multiple times then burned her house down.
He eventually pleaded guilty to the murder, and had been arrested multiple times before for domestic assaults.
That murder caught the attention of state lawmakers, who passed Savanna’s Law in her honor in 2024.
That bill establishes the first domestic violence registry in the entire country.
The registry will list those who are convicted of domestic violence offenses within the state, and will be viewable by the public via the TBI.
This tool will help law enforcement and victim’s rights organizations like the Dr. Carol Berz Family Justice Center be able to help those victimized by domestic violence.
It is one of 14 such institutes across the Tennessee designed to help families in crisis.
The center’s executive director, Regina McDevitt, said, “It allows us to look at cases and identify cases that are more high risk. We know that domestic violence is one of the primary predictors of domestic violence, homicide, and future harm in a domestic violence situation. So this will be a safety tool for the community to use.”
The registry will be built off of convictions that occur beginning on January 1.
However, past convictions will have an importance on this registry.
McDevitt said, “It will look back to a previous conviction, so if someone is convicted after January 1 and they had a previous conviction, they will go on the registry .That allows us to look at escalation of domestic violence because we know that domestic violence increases and frequency and intensity over time.”
Ultimately, the release of this registry is a reminder you are not alone when faced with domestic violence.
McDevitt said, “Anyone can be impacted by domestic violence, regardless of what their job is, regardless of how much money they may make, where they live, what their race is, anyone can be a victim… It is so important whether you choose to report to the police or not that you know what your options are, you know what your rights are and you go and talk to someone.”
The domestic violence registry goes live on Thursday, January 1.
