Opinion: An urgent call to reform New York’s crisis response to high-conflict relationship incidents

New York state grapples with the highest incidence of high-conflict and violent relationships in the United States. On any given day, up to 9,157 urgent service requests are logged, yet approximately 900 of these pleas for help remain unmet, according to the New York Coalition Against Domestic Violence. This staggering statistic underscores a critical problem: many victims, dissuaded or unable to seek help, suffer in silence. Given the nature of high-conflict relationships – which include domestic violence, family violence, and intimate partner violence – each incident involves at least two parties and, in about 25% of cases, child witnesses. This dynamic can rapidly escalate the number of individuals requiring immediate intervention and critical care.

Emergency and medical personnel tasked with managing these volatile situations face significant daily risks. In March 2024, while working on my dissertation research, I conducted group interviews with New York police officers, which revealed that patrol officers receive a mere two hours of domestic violence training during their six-month academy period. Alarmingly, many officers encounter their first domestic violence call on their first day on patrol, often dealing with severe injuries or fatal outcomes.

In the line of duty, officers frequently face danger themselves, with injuries or even fatalities affecting not only the victims but also child witnesses, family members, and even well-intentioned bystanders. This high-stress environment exacerbates the inherent dangers and complications of each case.

One officer reported handling an average of fifteen domestic violence calls in a single night, with a noticeable increase during the holiday season. Another reported responding to up to thirty such calls per week. The lack of advanced, specialized training for responders contributes to the tragic loss of both responders and victims, highlighting a significant gap in current practices.

Hospital-based physicians, nurses, and social workers, crucial in the emergency care continuum, also lack adequate training in domestic violence. Research indicates that many victims visit emergency departments for domestic violence-related injuries in the year preceding their death at the hands of an intimate partner. Interviews with two emergency room physicians at a leading New York institution revealed a troubling lack of impactful training, leaving them ill-equipped to address the psychosocial dimensions of care for these patients. These professionals often treat physical injuries while neglecting the crucial psychosocial aspects of treatment.

New York law mandates ongoing domestic violence training for hospital staff, including physicians, nurses, social workers, and security personnel. However, my research indicates that many hospitals fall short of this requirement, putting them at risk of lawsuits and jeopardizing malpractice insurance and union protections.

First responders – including police officers, firefighters, and EMT/paramedics – are in dire need of advanced, specialized training. Despite their critical role, firefighters are frequently overlooked in discussions about domestic violence training. The tragic deaths of two officers and one paramedic in Burnsville, Minnesota, in February, while responding to a domestic violence call, highlight the urgent need for comprehensive training across all emergency services.

I urge public officials to address this pressing issue with the seriousness it demands. It is imperative that those on the frontline are well-prepared, confident, and compliant with legal requirements to effectively manage domestic violence cases and mitigate potentially fatal outcomes.