JACKSON HEIGHTS — Reports of domestic violence incidents have been on the rise in the 115th Precinct over the past several years, according to NYPD officials, who attribute the increase to better education and a change in state law.
While reports of domestic-related incidents are down 1 percent this year, they were up 11 percent from 2009 to 2013, according to Sgt. Tyler Ruthizer, who works in the precinct's domestic violence response team.
There have also been 43 choking-related assaults this year — three more than were reported during the same period last year, Ruthizer said.
Officials say the increase in reports is due to continued education and more resources for victims, which has led people to feel more comfortable coming forward about domestic crime. A 2010 law that re-classified non-deadly "strangulation" as a felony also contributed to the uptick, according to officials.
"There are now more domestic agencies, shelters and hotlines to help victims than ever before, which offer victims more avenues to report domestic violence," Ruthizer said.
Since 2010, choking assaults that cause a victim to lose consciousness or result in any other "physical injury or impairment" has been classified a second-degree felony, according to the state's penal code.
Felony assaults in the 115th Precinct are up 8 percent from last year — from 256 to 277 — according to statistics through Sept. 21.
Since 2012, there was a 17 percent jump. More than half of the felony assaults in 2013 and 2014 through Sept. 14 were classified as domestic.
Deputy Inspector Michael Cody cited the new classification as a major reason for the jump in reported assaults.
"A lot of [the incidents] being investigated by detectives are domestic violence," he said.
Handling domestic incidents has also become a major priority within the precinct, Cody said.
Officers refer victims to a slew of support centers, including Safe Horizons, the Queens Family Justice Center in Kew Gardens, and the Department for the Aging.
Alexandra Patino, executive director of the Queens Family Justice Center, said her agency has done major outreach to let victims know about the resources available to them.
This help includes counseling, financial planning to become independent from an abusive partner and immigration services.
The center also provides practical assistance, like changing locks on apartments or homes, job readiness and computer literacy.
"We've stepped up the volume this year to do more outreach, to [visit] every single community board meeting and also precinct council meetings," she said.
