Initiative Set To Combat NYC Violence

A city program introduced this Monday seeks to provide more resources to combat domestic violence in northern Manhattan.

The city beat out other cities in a nationwide competition for a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women to fund the Manhattan Domestic Violence Criminal Justice Services Project.

The New York City Police Department, the District Attorney's office, and the Borough President's office are now officially cooperating with Harlem-based non-profits to advise victims before and after their aggressors are arrested, according to Rose Pierre-Louis, deputy borough president.

"Often that period after an incident has occurred can be critical in terms of giving a victim information about what resources are available to her," she said.

The agencies' specialists offer legal assessments and teach victims how to protect themselves and their children in future abusive situations.

Police must now automatically refer victims to a service agency for help following a domestic violence incident.

"The family court and criminal courts are separated, and police officers often are not aware of what goes on in family court," said Tracey Bing-Hampson, director of the family law unit for Harlem Legal Services, one of the organizations to where police will refer victims. "Harlem Legal Services had dedicated advocates who will contact the victim and help guide them through the court process."

The grant has also allowed police to carry devices that give them on-the-go criminal histories of suspects when they respond to domestic violence complaints, according to the District Attorney's office.

The police department is also keeping track of domestic violence repeat offenders at each Manhattan precinct. They hope to identify higher risk areas through these efforts and have targeted the four police precincts in the city with the most reports of domestic violence, located in Central Harlem, East Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood, Pierre-Louis said.

"This does not necessarily mean more domestic violence is occurring in those areas," she said, noting that it may merely indicate that Harlemites are more likely to report incidents of domestic violence when they occur. "The project should eventually be expanded to include other precincts below 96th Street ... domestic violence crosses all economic and ethnic lines," she said.