Police Reports Refute Claims of ‘Extreme Danger and Risk’ by National Domestic Violence Group

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

Police Reports Refute Claims of ‘Extreme Danger and Risk’ by National Domestic Violence Group

Washington, DC / March 31, 2020 – The Coalition to End Domestic Violence is warning lawmakers that widespread claims of a “spurt” in domestic violence arising from coronavirus “shelter in place” policies cannot be verified by police departments around the country. Such exaggerated predictions harm the credibility of recognized domestic violence groups that seek evidence-based solutions to the problem of partner abuse.

On March 23, the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence issued an Action Alert that made the claim, “Survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault are facing extreme danger and risk,” but did not include any factual evidence to support the warning. The Alert went on to urge Congress to include $402 million in new funding for domestic violence programs as part of the impending coronavirus package (1).

The following day, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and other senators issued a press release stating, “We write to express our concern for the wellbeing of families who face an increased risk of domestic violence during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.” (2)

Media outlets are issuing similar dire predictions. Time magazine opined, “For people who are experiencing domestic violence, mandatory lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19 (the disease caused by the new coronavirus) have trapped them in their homes with their abusers, isolated from the people and the resources that could help them.” (3)

Unfortunately, these warnings have little basis in police reports issued to date. On March 27 and 30, seven police departments across the country were contacted to answer this question: “In the past two weeks has your office been seeing an increase, a decrease, or no change in the number of domestic violence calls?” These were their answers:

Albany, New York: No change reported in the number of police calls.
Denver, Colorado: “Domestic violence-related calls for service to our 911 Communications Center for the past two weeks (March 11-24) were lower than the preceding two week period, and lower than the same two-week period in 2019.”
Fort Lauderdale, Florida: During the last two weeks of March, 2019, the police department received 61 DV-related calls. During the same time period in 2020, the department had 58 DV calls, a small decrease.
Frederick, Maryland: “We are actually recording a decrease in the number of reported domestic violence incidents” over the past two weeks, according to Acting Police Chief Patrick Grossman
Houston, Texas: The department reported during the last two weeks a 10% increase in DV-related calls, what the department described as a “slight increase.”
Nashville, Tennessee: From March 1-14, the Police Department received 842 DV-related reports. During the last two weeks of March, the number dipped to 804 reports.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: This Police Department does not track calls for domestic violence, but does track the number of reported rapes: March 2–8: 26 reports; March 9–15: 15 reports; March 16–22: 9 reports. (4)

Of the seven police units, six reported steady or lower numbers. Houston saw a “slight increase,” but this was not consistent with the warnings of “extreme danger and risk” issued by the National Task Force.

At the state level, there is no evidence of a jump in domestic violence incidents. On March 29, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held a Coronavirus Briefing. During the event, one media representative asked about domestic violence. In response, Cuomo’s aide replied vaguely, “We’ve been tracking some of that data, it’s tough to tell.” (5)

Domestic violence is an important issue in our nation that deserves a thoughtful response. 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 (6).

The Coalition to End Domestic Violence urges lawmakers to make funding decisions for domestic violence programs based on solid data, not on emotion-filled appeals that are not verifiable.

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