Ask Casper Police Chief Tom Pagel or Natrona County District Attorney Michael Blongien and they'll tell you: They alone can't stop domestic violence.

Sure, Pagel's officers can throw an abuser in jail and Blongien's attorneys can work to get him punished. But those steps only come after a crime has already been committed.

According to some experts, the key to reducing domestic violence in Casper can be found inside the city's restaurants.

A generation ago, those restaurants, along with most public places, were choked with cigarette smoke. The smoke and the odor were certainly an annoyance, but most people tolerated it. Smoking in public was acceptable.

Flash forward 30 years and only a few restaurants allow customers to smoke. Those that do usually confine smokers to one part of the building.

In many respects, smoking in public has become a societal taboo. The effort took decades of public awareness and legislation, but it managed to drastically alter how the public viewed smoking.

Those who deal with domestic violence see that cultural shift as a roadmap for reducing the number of people who abuse their spouses and partners. Make the stigma of a wife beater embarrassing enough, the reasoning goes, and more men will think twice before doing it.

"You really have to get to the same place with domestic violence," said Blonigen. "It has to be truly socially unacceptable … You speak out against it. You are critical of people who do it. That will have an effect eventually, because all we are doing is reacting to the problem when it's already there. We are not preventing problems at all."

The key according to Jim Ripley, a Casper oral surgeon who heads Don't Touch. US Inc., a group of mostly men focused on reducing domestic violence, is turning the community's focus to dealing with the issue before a 911 call becomes necessary.

"This is a concept that is bigger than any of us," he said. "And it's going to continue to grow."

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Shame.

That's one of Casper attorney Jackie Brown's suggestions for reducing domestic violence in her city. Brown should know. She's represented victims as a staff attorney for the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and now in private practice.

The community must have zero tolerance for men who abuse women, instead of rationalizing that behavior, Brown said.

"Whenever they talk about domestic violence, there is always that 'but …'" she said. "'But she stays' … 'But she puts up with it' … When they start to do that, it takes the focus off the abuser and puts in on the victim. And I always point out to people, that doesn't give him the right to hit her. It doesn't."

If an abuser knows his violent acts will be met with contempt from family and friends, he'll be less likely to commit them, Brown explained. But any such effort must be coupled with protecting the victim from retaliation.

"I think shame is a very powerful thing," she said. "We all want to look good and we all want to maintain our image."

Don't Touch. US Inc. has plans to put the shame concept to the test. The group, which was formed in December, held a high-profile march through Casper and has organized a series of educational forums on the issue.

The group plans to publicize domestic violence cases so the community is aware of who exactly is perpetrating crimes against women. According to Ripley, Don't Touch. US Inc. will act as a watchdog over the criminal justice system as it relates to domestic violence, bringing attention to both the successes and the failures.

"We are going to make them famous if they are doing the right thing," Ripley said. "We are going to make them famous if they are not."

As Ripley sees it, domestic violence has too long been a problem that, while not accepted, is tolerated by the public. His group plans to change that.

"It is totally unacceptable," he said. "It is truly outrageous."

Having men hold other men accountable for their actions will help the problem, said Judie Chitwood, a former probation and parole officer who now runs court-ordered re-education classes for offenders.

"It's our duty, it's the guys' duty, to call each other on it," she said. "'You can't be talking to your wife that way. That's not acceptable.' When men are holding men accountable for their behavior and their violence, it's a huge stride, [and] it's a huge amount of progress for us as a society. It works."

Speaking up will also help authorities deal with the men who continue to abuse. Prosecuting domestic violence can be challenging because in the majority of cases, the victim, whether out of fear or feelings for the offender, is reluctant or refuses to participate in the case, Blonigen said. Even when victims do come forward, they are often viewed as a scorned woman, rather than as a victim.

Third parties, however, add credibility to allegations of abuse.

"If you are aware, let the police know you are aware," Blonigen said. "Our success, when we have an independent witnesses, goes way up.

"If you are the neighbor who saw something, if you are the person at the bar who saw something, if you are the person in the grocery store parking lot who saw something, if you speak up, the chances of that case being successfully resolved go way up."

Domestic violence is often a learned behavior, modeled by parents in front of their children. So educating Casper's young people on resolving their problems without violence is part of solution for eliminating abuse, experts say.

"We try to educated young people that this is not acceptable of healthy behavior," said Liz Baron, executive director of Casper's Self-Help Center, which offers a variety of services for victims of domestic violence. "For younger children, we help them realize that unhealthy relationships at home are not the norm."

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Since early 2007, Natrona County had been home to several high-profile criminal cases with ties to domestic violence.

In March 2007, a Casper woman named Dawn Rock shot and killer her boyfriend inside the travel trailer they rented near Natrona County High school. Exactly one week later, Casper resident Edward Taylor shot to death his then-wife's friend after seeing her leaving the man's home.

Three months passed before Eric Funk shot five times at his estranged wife in front of the Casper house they had shared. The bullets missed her, but one round severed the finger of a 7-year-old boy.

And this summer, the trial of a Donald Rolle, a Natrona County man charged with murdering a woman he once dated, is scheduled to begin. Police say Jennifer Randel's beaten body was found in Rolle's truck.

Those cases have certainly brought attention to the issue of domestic violence. But it remains to be seen whether the problem will continue to hold the public's attention once the criminal proceedings are over.

Dorothy Mosher believes it should. As a family nurse practitioner, she's treated victims of domestic violence. She's also been a victim herself and says domestic violence affects the health of a community.

"We are still a community of people," she said. "Anything that takes away from that, takes away from all of us."

Keeping the issue in the forefront means getting involved, advocates say. But even the simple act of standing up and speaking out helps.

"All it takes is one," Brown said. "Once one person steps up and says, 'I will help you.' It's amazing how many more will come to their aid. All it take is that one person … and others will come."

Reach Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.