Domestic violence cases continue to rise

David Kihara

Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004 | 11:20 a.m.

For the past three years, the number of domestic violence cases in Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County has steadily increased, and the total for the first 11 months of this year was 3 percent higher than the total for the same period of last year, Metro Police report.

Metro received 18,626 reports of domestic violence this year through the end of November, an increase of 575 cases over the total for the same period of last year. Metro was unable to provide a total for this month to date.

But police expect that number to be higher than last year's as well. "The number of domestic violence cases has been steadily increasing," Metro Sgt. Chuck Pierce of the Domestic Violence Unit said.

The domestic violence cases Metro responded to range from misdemeanors to attempted murder, Pierce said. When a domestic violence case turns into murder, it is classified as a homicide. Non-lethal violence against women made up at least 80 percent of the reported cases.

Pierce cited several reasons for the increase, such as the rapidly increasing population as well as a better reporting system.

An estimated 6,000 people per month moved to Las Vegas last year, with a total population in Clark County reaching more than 1.6 million.

Nevada overall ranked fourth in the nation for homicides involving domestic violence, according to a study by Violence Policy Center, a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C.

In 2002, it found that 27 women in Nevada were killed by men and in 2003 that number decreased to 21.

From July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2004, a total of 20 women were killed by men involving domestic violence, Pierce said.

The Henderson Police Department were unable to provide the Sun with the number of domestic violence cases it has handled in 2004 or previous years, Officer Todd Rasmussen, the department's public information officer, said on Wednesday.

Neither could the North Las Vegas Police Department.

Although the population boom and improved reporting systems help explain the increase, there are factors that continue to elude those working with the domestic violence issue, said Andrea Sundberg, community outreach education coordinator for Safe House, a 54-bed women's shelter that also provides legal assistance and counseling.

For example, the number of domestic violence cases per capita in Las Vegas is still higher than that of New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles, she said, adding that there was no definitive explanation for the higher rate.

"There are just some things we don't know yet," she said.

One of the possible reasons there is a higher number of domestic violence cases in Las Vegas is the transitory nature of the residents, experts said. When people move to Las Vegas, they often do not have a family or friendship network where they can turn during a violent or threatening episode, and they therefore call the police.

Although financial stressors also contribute to domestic violence cases, Sundberg was quick to say that domestic violence spans all economic and social backgrounds.

"It doesn't just happen to one economic group -- it happens to everyone," she said.

In 2001, there were a total of 17,886 cases of domestic violence reported, with 16,450 reported from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30 -- the same time period measured for 2004.

The number of domestic violence cases increased by 342 cases from 2001 to 2002, but jumped in 2003 to a total of 19,608 for the entire year.

"I've been doing this for 25 years, and I have seen an increase ever since I began," Kathleen Brooks, associate director of Safenest, another women's shelter in Las Vegas that provides counseling and legal assistance for victims of domestic violence.

Brooks also attributed the increase to the growing population and to the rising awareness of the issue, which leads more victims to report or seek out services.

The number of domestic violence cases has a tendency to increase during the summer months and decrease in the winter. The highest number of domestic violence cases in 2004 came in June, with 1,895 cases. The lowest was in February, with 1,363.

Pierce attributed this in part to the holiday season, saying that people often visit family members and are on their "best behavior" during Christmas and other holidays. Plus, many women are often resistant to reporting incidents of beatings or other violence during the holidays in order not to break up the family.

In Nevada, police are required to take an individual into custody on a domestic violence call if there is evidence of a battery and if the responding officers can determine who the "primary aggressor" is, Pierce said.