FAKE: Senators’ Claim of a ‘Horrifying’ Surge in Domestic Violence Cannot be Verified by Police Reports

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

FAKE: Senators’ Claim of a ‘Horrifying’ Surge in Domestic Violence Cannot be Verified by Police Reports

WASHINGTON / May 1, 2020 – Contradicting the claims of 41 senators of a “horrifying” surge in domestic violence cases as a result of coronavirus “stay-at-home” mandates, 13 police reports from across the country reveal partner abuse incidents have declined or remained steady in recent weeks. Only Boise, Idaho reported a “mild” increase in domestic violence numbers.

Recently, 41 senators signed a letter that claimed a domestic violence “surge” that they described as “particularly dangerous” and “horrifying,” concluding that “for many, home is not a safe place.” These claims were featured in an April 13 letter demanding that future coronavirus bills allocate $413 million for partner abuse programs (1).

The letter was signed by these senators: Tammy Baldwin (WI), Michael Bennet (CO), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Cory Booker (NJ), Sherrod Brown (OH), Robert Casey (PA), Christopher Coons (DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), Mike Crapo (ID), Steve Daines (MT), Tammy Duckworth (WI), Richard Durbin (IL), Joni Ernst (IA), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Kamala Harris (CA), Margaret Wood Hassan (NH), Martin Heinrich (NM), Mazie Hirono (HI), Tim Kaine (VA), Angus King (ME), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Edward Markey (MA), Robert Menendez (NJ), Jeffrey Merkley (OR), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Christopher Murphy (CT), Jack Reed (RI), Jacky Rosen (NV), Bernard Sanders (VT), Tina Smith (MN), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), Debbie Stabenow (MI), Jon Tester (MT), Thom Tillis (NC), Tom Udall (NM), Chris Van Hollen (MD), Mark Warner (VA), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), and Ron Wyden (OR).

In order to evaluate the accuracy of the letter’s claims, CEDV staff conducted a Google search using the terms “coronavirus,” “domestic violence,” “police reports,” and the name of each senator’s state. The police accounts were then categorized as reflecting a decrease (more than a 10% decrease over baseline), a steady number (less than a 10% change over baseline), or an increase (more than a 10% increase over baseline) in domestic violence calls, reports, or arrests.

These were the findings:

DECREASE – Eight reports

Arizona (Chandler): “Based on police reports in…Chandler, Arizona—domestic violence appears to be dropping” by 18%. (2)
California (Los Angeles and San Francisco): “Calls related to domestic violence in Los Angeles declined 18% from March 19 through April 15 compared with the same period in 2019, according to LAPD data provided to ABC News. Cases also declined in San Francisco.” (3)
Colorado (Denver): “In March, Denver Police reports show a decrease in calls for domestic violence compared to last year during the same month” (4)
Illinois (Chicago): Police reports of “Domestic violence [are] down 23%” (2)
New Hampshire: “Reports of domestic violence also have dropped in recent weeks, [Governor] Sununu said.” (5)
New York City: “The New York City Police Department said that reports of domestic violence have ‘progressively declined’ since the onset of the pandemic. The crimes fell nearly 15% last month compared to March 2019.” And Melinda Katz, district attorney in Queens, reports “domestic violence arrests have fallen nearly 40%.” (6)
Ohio (Delaware and Marion): “Police Capt. Adam Moore said 41 domestic-violence reports were received from March 24 to April 11, down from 54 during the same period last year. Domestic-violence reports also are down in Marion, Roller said.” (7)
Rhode Island (Middletown): “From March 18 through April 15, Middletown police Capt. Jason Ryan counted eight domestic violence incidents handled by his department, which yielded two arrests. In that same time span last year, there were 13 incidents, which yielded five arrests, indicative of a year-over-year decrease.” (8)

STEADY — Five reports

California (San Diego, Anaheim, Burbank and Santa Rosa): “cities including San Diego, Anaheim, Burbank and Santa Rosa have reported little change” in domestic violence calls (3).
Iowa (Cedar Rapids and Des Moines): “Public Information officer for the Cedar Rapids Police Department, Greg Buelow, tells Iowa’s News Now, there’s been no statistically significant increase in calls for domestic violence since the Governor’s Public Health Emergency Proclamation.” (9) “Sgt. Paul Parizek, spokesperson for the Des Moines Police Department, provided Watchdog a mix of the domestic calls that police have responded to in recent days. He called them “garden-variety,” in that none were related specifically to coronavirus.” (10)
Maryland (Frederick): “There’s has been no dramatic increase in domestic violence calls in the city of Frederick during the COVID-19 pandemic.” (11)
Minnesota (St. Louis County): In “St. Louis County, 911 calls for domestic violence haven’t increased as some predicted, nor have charges.” (12)
Pennsylvania (Montgomery County): “However, a check on the same data sets from 2019 showed that as spring arrives, domestic violence calls and incidents typically rise. When adjusted for that typical spring increase, the analysis of the data found that domestic violence incidents due to the COVID-19 pandemic increased by 8 to 9 percent.” (13)
Wisconsin (Madison): “Since Gov. Tony Evers’ implemented Wisconsin’s ‘Safer-at-Home’ order on March 25, Madison Police Department has had an average of 8.75 domestic violence calls a day — a slight 4 percent increase from before the order was in place.” (14)

INCREASE – One report

Idaho (Boise): “Local police saw a mild increase in domestic reports last week, compared to the same time last year, but it’s too early to tell if it is a real trend. From March 7 through March 14, Boise Police responded to 63 reports of domestic battery and domestic disputes. In the same week of 2019, Boise Police responded to 55 reports of domestic battery and domestic disputes.” (15)

No police reports could be found in media accounts for the following states: Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Virginia, or Vermont.

In summary, eight reports revealed a decrease, five reports documented steady numbers, and only one report confirmed an increase in partner abuse-related police reports. The “mild increase” seen in Boise, Idaho cannot be accurately described as “particularly dangerous” or “horrifying.” Overall, claims of a domestic violence “surge” represent a harmful and extreme misrepresentation of the effects of coronavirus stay-at-home polices on domestic violence cases.

The Coalition to End Domestic Violence notes that untruthful claims about intimate partner aggression serve to undermine the credibility of legitimate efforts to curb partner abuse. The CEDV urges the senators to withdraw their names from the misleading letter.

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