The number of domestic violence-related police calls in Syracuse dropped by less than 10 percent from 2016 to 2017, a recent report published by Vera House Inc. has found.

The annual report is compiled with data from agencies including the Syracuse Police Department and Onondaga County, said Chris Benton, director of Vera House’s marketing and communications. It was published Oct. 4.

“There’s more work to be done in the community,” Benton said on Tuesday. The report has been released 29 times, publicly detailing information on reported sexual and domestic violence in the city.

In 2017, SPD  answered 10,180 domestic-related calls, which is about 800 less than 2016, according to the report. Vera House provided therapy to 610 adults and 516 children in 2017, figures almost identical to 2016 data, when the organization provided therapy to 608 adults and 516 children, per the report.

Benton said that Vera House releases the report to inform people about the organization and resources it provides.

“We always want to improve our communications, and let more people be aware, and know the services we offer to the community,” Benton said.

Vera House announced in the report that, in 2017, it served 1,860 victims of domestic abuse, provided Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners to 317 sexual assault or abuse victims at local hospitals and engaged with 19,858 people through 54 schools, community groups and workplaces.

Benton said Vera House’s 24-hour hotline has recently seen a spike in calls, which leads her to believe that the organization’s outreach is making a difference.

The report also stated that, in the United States, violence between intimate partners affects more than 12 million people each year. In Onondaga County, there were two homicides in 2017, and one in 2018, related to intimate partner violence, according to Vera House.

SPD arrested 1,778 domestic violence perpetrators and 76 sexual offense perpetrators in 2017, while the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office and local town and village police arrested 1,586 domestic violence perpetrators and 87 sexual violence perpetrators, per Vera House’s report.

Published on October 9, 2018 at 9:24 pm

Contact Catherine: ccleffer@syr.edu | @ccleffert