Article: Domestic Violence Cases Up Since 2007

By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Journal Staff Writer
The number of domestic violence cases referred to the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office has increased by 19 percent since 2007, but there's no clear explanation why.
District Attorney Kari Brandenburg said Thursday that a poor economy always seems to drive up the rate of domestic violence crimes, as well as crimes against children, but she couldn't say for sure that's what is causing the recent surge.
"It could be that more police are reporting cases and are giving information and appreciating the seriousness of the situation," Brandenburg said. "But it's really hard to break that down."
Also, the number of violations of protection orders, or restraining orders, has increased by about 26 percent since 2007.
At the same time, the District Attorney's Office has seen a budget decrease of about 10 percent, and that has made it harder to prosecute domestic violence cases because of a staffing shortage, Brandenburg said.
Brandenburg said she was highlighting domestic violence issues in light of the recent multiple shooting at Emcore, during which Robert Reza shot six people, killing two, before also killing himself. The target of his rampage appeared to be his ex-girlfriend, who was not killed.
More businesses should offer training about how to identify domestic violence, since 70 percent of victims are harassed at work, Brandenburg said.
She pointed out that domestic violence has gained visibility in recent years as the Legislature has made an effort to crack down on crimes associated with domestic violence, such as destruction of property.