There’s a push by a number of agencies in Oneida and Herkimer counties to get state legislation in place to better coordinate the response to incidents of domestic violence.
Local law enforcement and various service providers gathered recently to push for final passage of the changes. A bill has already been approved by the New York state Senate and Assembly and it awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.
Dianne Stancato is Executive Director for YWCA Mohawk Valley which works with domestic violence victims. She said the new legislation would require what is called a “lethality assessment.”
That would be incorporated into questions already asked by law enforcement when they respond to these types of situations. Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol said that it would help officers identify victims who are at the greatest risk of serious injury or death “and connect them with domestic violence services before a tragedy occurs.”
And it’s not only physical violence that the new survey would monitor, according to Stancato.
“A lot of times, domestic violence encompasses verbal threats and financial control and things that are really harmful,” said Stancato. “But when you start answering some of those questions, and you get to a seven, now we're saying, wow, this could escalate quickly.”
Stancato is referring to a numerical value assigned in the proposed new threat assessment. She said Oneida and Herkimer are among the counties that already have a similar system in place, but local officials feel this should be adopted on a statewide basis.
“But if it becomes a statewide mandate, now we’re all going to be using the same tools, we’re all going to be having the same training and I believe it will pull everybody together and people will be safer,” Stancato said.
Maciol said a number of sheriffs across the state support the legislation. He noted that domestic violence remains one of the most dangerous and unpredictable categories of incidents that police respond to.
Maciol said New York’s Lethality Assessment Bill represents a significant step forward in protecting victims of domestic violence. Far too often, Maciol noted, “warning signs of escalating violence are missed, leaving victims without the intervention and support they desperately need.”
