Article: Domestic homicides drop in N.Y. state

JOSEPH SPECTOR • GANNETT ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF • AUGUST 16, 2010

The number of domestic homicides in New York dropped 12 percent in 2009, but women remain the biggest target and orders of protection were on the rise, according to state studies released Tuesday.



There were 130 domestic homicides in New York in 2009, down from 147 in 2008. During the same period, overall homicides statewide declined nearly 6 percent, from 829 to 781.

Of those domestic homicides, the state Division of Criminal Justice Services said 89 people were killed by their intimate partners in 2009 in New York, two fewer than in 2008. But the number of female victims remained the same, at 68 victims in both years. In 2007, 59 women victims were reported.

The largest drop in domestic homicides was among children under 18, with 17 children killed in 2009 compared to 31 in 2008 and 39 in 2009. Five of the 17 children who died last year were killed by their parent's intimate partner.

A domestic homicide is defined as the murder or non-negligent manslaughter of an intimate partner or other family member. Intimate partner homicides focus solely on spouses, ex-spouses or sexual partners. "As this report illustrates, women are most at risk for violence by someone they know, often in their own homes," DCJS Acting Commissioner Sean Byrne said in a statement.

"Policymakers on the state and local level must continue to closely monitor these trends and other sources of domestic violence data so that we can develop effective responses to combat and prevent this crime."

Over the past three years, about half of the 414 domestic homicides occurred in New York City. Outside New York City, Suffolk County had the most with 29, followed by 19 each in Monroe, Erie and Nassau counties.

Other findings in the agency's "Domestic Homicide in New York State: 2009" report and two other reports released Tuesday include:

25 percent of all assaults reported by police outside of New York City were committed by intimate partners; 80 percent of the victims were women.

New York courts issued 262,327 orders of protection in 2009, a 21 percent increase from 2008 and 26 percent more than in 2007.
More than 20,000 applications for public assistance indicated danger due to domestic violence, a 17 percent increase from 2008 and a 41 percent increase from 2007.
JSPECTOR@Gannett.com