COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has announced $1 million in additional funding for domestic violence shelters and several new programs aimed at improving services for survivors and protecting law enforcement officers responding to domestic violence calls.
The announcement came during Domestic Violence Awareness Month and follows a state analysis finding that domestic violence was involved in more than half of Ohio’s violent crime arrests over nearly five decades.
Researchers with the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services analyzed approximately 2 million violent crime arrests recorded between 1974 and 2023.
The study found that just over half of all violent crime arrests during that period included a domestic violence charge. Researchers also found that 70% of those arrested for domestic violence were repeat violent offenders.
The figures remained high in more recent years. Domestic violence was involved in 54% of violent crime arrests between 2014 and 2023, rising to 56% during the final five years of the study. The state also reported that half of Ohio’s 88 counties have domestic violence crime rates above the statewide average.
“Anectodally, we suspected that domestic violence was among the most frequent violent crimes in the state, and this data confirms it,” DeWine said, adding that Ohio must continue working to protect survivors and the officers who respond to calls for help.
$1 Million for Domestic Violence Shelters
As part of the response, the state will provide an additional $1 million to Ohio’s 55 shelters recognized by the Office of Criminal Justice Services.
Each shelter will receive a one-time grant of $18,000 to help provide immediate shelter and meet the critical needs of survivors and their dependents.
Mary O’Doherty, executive director of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, welcomed the funding, saying it would help support the work of shelter programs across the state.
New Programs to Support Law Enforcement
DeWine also directed the state to establish several grant programs intended to strengthen law enforcement responses to domestic violence incidents.
The initiatives include:
- Ballistic shields: A new grant program will help law enforcement agencies obtain ballistic shields to protect officers responding to high-risk situations, including domestic violence calls.
- Lethality assessment training: Funding will support training that helps officers identify survivors at high risk of future violence. Those identified as high-risk can be connected with domestic violence programs and advocates for crisis intervention and safety planning.
- Law enforcement and victim advocate partnerships: Grants will help expand co-responder programs that bring victim service advocates together with law enforcement officers. The funding will support training and staffing costs so survivors can receive trauma-informed assistance at the scene.
The ballistic shield initiative will complement Ohio’s existing Bulletproof Vest Grant Program, which was created in 2018 and is operated in partnership with the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
Statewide Domestic Violence Response Standard Planned
In addition to the grant programs, DeWine directed the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board to develop a statewide standard for responding to and investigating domestic violence incidents.
The standard will incorporate recommendations from a handbook published in April by the Ohio Domestic Violence Network in partnership with the Office of Criminal Justice Services.
The handbook outlines best practices for working with survivors, including guidance on strangulation cases, victim rights, changes in Ohio law and other issues involved in domestic violence investigations.
O’Doherty said the organization was pleased that its handbook would help shape a consistent statewide approach to domestic violence response.
The Office of Criminal Justice Services will also support the network in providing seven free regional training sessions for law enforcement officers on the handbook’s recommendations.
Additional information about the new funding opportunities is available through the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services’ grants website.
State officials said the initiatives are intended to improve support for survivors, strengthen investigations and provide additional resources for officers responding to domestic violence incidents.
