USA Today Claim of Domestic Violence ‘Surge’ Cherry-Picks the Truth

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

USA Today Claim of Domestic Violence ‘Surge’ Cherry-Picks the Truth

WASHINGTON / April 14, 2020 – The Coalition to End Domestic Violence is warning lawmakers that many police departments are unable to verify alarming media reports of a “surge” and “spike” of domestic violence incidents as a result of coronavirus “stay-at-home” orders. This suggests that media reporting of the purported link between the coronavirus and domestic violence is biased.

USA Today recently published an article that reported on decreased crime rates overall, and then made the claim, “calls for domestic disturbances and violence surged by 10% to 30% among many police agencies that contributed data.” (1)

The article presented data on domestic violence calls for service from police departments in Santa Rosa, CA; Detroit, MI, Tucson, AZ; and Montgomery County, MD. The article did not report on the number of domestic violence calls from any of the other cities surveyed for the article, and did not explain the reason for the omission.

To get a more accurate picture, the Coalition to End Domestic Violence contacted the following police departments that had been previously surveyed by the USA Today reporters: Cincinnati, OH; Rochester, NY; Chattanooga, TN; Nashville, TN; Auburn, WA; Dallas, TX; Tacoma, WA; Columbus, OH; Palm Beach, FL; Providence, RI; and Wilmington, NC.

Information was received from five police units within the requested time period:

Columbus, OH, Sergeant Ketcham, Domestic Violence Felony Unit:
1. “A basic search of “reporting” as of two weeks ago showed the average staying the same.” Trend: Steady
2. “Domestic violence felonies have slowed down.” Trend: Decrease
Auburn, WA, Joe Ryan, Crime Analyst: Average number of calls in March in most recent years: 2017: 177 calls; 2018: 201 calls; 2019: 173 calls; 2020: 184 calls. Trend: Steady
Tacoma, WA, Wendy Haddow:
1. “Looking at that time period, March 2 thru March 29, 2020 compared to same time period in 2019, domestic violence offenses are down 13.6%.” Trend: Decrease
2. Comparing March 2nd thru March 29th, 2020 with the previous 28 days (February 2020), domestic violence offenses are down 3.3%.” Trend: Decrease
Palm Beach, FL, Staci Mussmacher, Records Specialist: “The Palm Beach Police Department had no reports for Domestic Violence in March 2020.” Trend: Steady
Nashville, TN, Chris Bryant, Domestic Violence Division:
1. Police reports: February: 396; March: 416 Trend: Increase
2. Arrests: February: 17; March: 9 Trend: Decrease

In summary, of the eight reports received from the five units, seven indicated steady or decreased numbers. Only police reports in Nashville showed a 5% increase from February to March. A five percent increase would not be considered to be a “surge” by most observers.

A previously reported survey of police departments in Albany, NY; Denver, CO; Fort Lauderdale, FL: Frederick, MD; Philadelphia, PA; and Houston, TX found steady or declining numbers of DV-related police calls in all locales except for Houston (2).

Early media reports predicted a dramatic rise in the need for abuse shelter services. But actual experience has proven otherwise. Recent accounts reveal steady or decreased demand for shelter services in Alabama (3) and New York state (4), as well as in the cities of Johnstown, TN (5), San Antonio, TX (6), and Tallahassee, FL (7).

According to the Centers for Disease Control, each year there are 4.2 million male victims and 3.5 million female victims of domestic violence (8).

The Coalition to End Domestic Violence urges lawmakers to be skeptical of fear-provoking claims by domestic violence activists that are based on speculation, not verifiable data.

Citations:

The Coalition to End Domestic Violence is working to address the root causes of domestic violence, promote family preservation, and ensure due process: www.EndToDV.org