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Suffolk Notebook: County Database to Track Domestic Violence

Local nonprofits say they will use data to make decisions on outreach.

Suffolk County on Friday announced the creation of a Domestic Violence Database that will track domestic incidents across the county so that all the information can be accessed by agencies across the county that deal is providing help to victims.

Prior to its creation, domestic violence were recorded in various municipalities and state databases, making it hard to get a clear picture of how widespread these incidents are. The county will now use the database to draw analysis based on demographics and location, among other conditions.

“This database lays a path toward greater understanding of the problem areas and trends of domestic violence across Suffolk County and can further serve as a catalyst to create solutions that will substantially reduce such violence over the long-term,” Suffolk County executive Steve Bellone said in a statement.

The county said September saw 1,070 domestic incidents entered into the database, which tracks race, relationships and location in addition to details about the incident.

“The information from the database will help the Victims Information Bureau and the other domestic violence agencies to effectively plan for the needs of victims of domestic violence in the days to come,” Pamela Johnston, executive director of the Victims Information Bureau, said in a statement.

Jeffrey Friedman, executive director of The Retreat in Amagansett also praised the new system.

“After years of struggle with a strategy around collecting domestic violence statistics, today we finally embark on a new era that will promote a spirit of collaboration, innovation, and connection."

Pols Back Housing for Vets

The Suffolk County Legislature this week approved $1.5 million to support a plan to build rental housing for veterans at the former armed forces reserves site in Amityville.

The money will be used to help pay for roadways, curbs, sidewalks, sewer piping and lighting associated with the housing project. When completed, the development will include about 60 units of affordable rentals, many slated for female veterans or veterans with families.

The development will include a community center and parks, and is funded by a mix of county, state and federal grants, according to a county statement.

“This project is going to dramatically change the lives of many veterans for the better," Bellone said in the statement. “This project is a model for the kind of development that we want to encourage and support for our veterans.”

Greg Fischer October 13, 2012 at 03:02 pm
Having been the target of numerous false complaints, and having had my numerous reports ignored (including when my children were abused, neglected, abducted, and housed with sexual predators on a toxic industrial site in Wyoming) I am not sure what good it will do! This as good as passing a law to do away with septic systems and let the waste flow into the streets. Yeah, its political repriasal in my case. However, the current system does not really allow for mutual orders so whoever calls the cops first gets the order and it is largely gender biased against men and arrest-first and ask questions later.
In the interim Bellone is sending the County Attorney out to file papers to OPPOSE LIPA REFORM. Know who you are dealing with --- a fiscally irresponsible pandering fool! Don't re-elect him.
Howie October 13, 2012 at 05:21 pm
I agree with you Greg. I personally know several men and one woman that have been falsely accused of domestic violence. It is used by people, mostly women, in divorce cases to secure financial rewards and obtain custody of their children. It destroys families and the person who is accused. Many women use the laws as weapons instead of shields for financial or custodial gain as well as for vindictive reasons when the marriage goes bad. What is Steve Bellone doing about this? Anything? Will this database separate those incidents where probable cause and evidence exists and those where there is no evidence or prior history involved, especially when there is a sudden accusation after years of marriage during a divorce? A high percentage of accusations are false. Something needs to be done, especially prosecuting those that are shown to falsely accuse.
Gary Jacobs October 13, 2012 at 09:11 pm
This is great but as part of the database, there should be a list of people who made false allegations in order to get an order of protection. Aren't these people just as dangerous?
Ranger Sewer October 13, 2012 at 11:44 pm
This is anti male.
Ranger Sewer October 13, 2012 at 11:45 pm
How about a public list of all people on some Goverment Handout program ? I guess that would not be PC .
endabuseeverywhere October 14, 2012 at 04:31 am
It might be a good idea for those of you who think this is an anti-male conspiracy to check every day and see how many women are murdered by abusive EX-husbands or boyfriends. When you can stack up as many dead men as we can dead women, then we'll talk about 'bias' in the system. Women try to leave (what everyone tells them to do) and then they pay for it with their lives. It's one of those pesky facts.
Greg Fischer October 14, 2012 at 04:25 pm
There is no "stack" and this database is not about murderers. However, on the death toll, abused men tend to kill themselves. Men kill themselves 4 time more than women (20 times more if they are in Family Court). I am sorry that anyone is abused or dies but the overall death toll for men is FAR higher and no comparison at all. On Domestic Violence, its all ugly but this database cures nothing and makes many things worse.
Howie October 14, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Greg is correct. Abused men, unlike women, have no where to go. They are not taken seriously at all. Studies show about 80% of men who call to try to get help are turned away from domestic violence agencies. They are told they only help women. VAWA makes sure of this as men are not protected from DV, only women are. Also, many men are trapped by sadistic women in relationships because women know the system and threaten these men that if they try to report abuse, they will claim abuse themselves. VAWA makes sure that if a man calls for help, he is the one arrested if both claim abuse. So many men see suicide as the only way out. Also false allegations are rampant and frequently destroy a man's life. He ends up bankrupt. In jail. Kids removed from his life. No way out and that also leads many to suicide. If you want to talk about stacking bodies, if you include those men driven to suicide by sadistic or vindictive women, men will be stacked way higher than women. Plus I can list a ton of links here to show many women who have killed or hired to kill their partners but I won't due to space constraints. DV is an issue that should not be gender specific. Both genders are affected. 42% of the victims of the most severe DV by the way are men.
Ginger Scotch October 15, 2012 at 01:20 am
I don't know about Howie, but Greg Fischer's record on the issue of domestic violence is well known. There is a reason the women on the Democratic Committee had very public misgivings about his candidacy when he most recently ran for supervisor - hint: it had nothing to do with LIPA.
I've met Greg and the mother of his minor children who he persists in slandering here. His children have learned to mimic his bad behavior towards their mother, and I have had a conversation with one of his children volunteered to me in a conversation that he's a spare the rod spoil the child sort of parent. By contrast, my child's father has never struck our child, although CPS had a big problem with him physically abusing me repeatedly in front of our child.
Melissa Fediuk October 15, 2012 at 01:54 am
I was accused of a domestic incident and arrested after my ex's family came to my house uninvited and a war of words began then one started touching my stuff. I threw a blow to stop her . Neidless to say I was arrested for defending my home & property , I am ready to say guilty to get this behind me but court adjourned it twice after hours of waiting . Defiantly some system abuse going on !!
Greg Fischer October 15, 2012 at 04:10 am
Ginger Scotch: Your first lie is your name. Why? Since you fabricate your name, and what you say about me is wrong, why should I believe your life story?
However, my life is an open book --- I put all of it including a ream of court ordered forensics up into the publicly accessable Federal PACER system where anybody is free to see it. You may be shocked but it shows I never abused anyone. Next, the reprisal has been since 2005 when I started exposing crooks and liars (which I do all the time now) --- the LIPA crooks are only some of the 2012 batch (and there is only a little blow back from that so far but I expect more). Political mud slinging and slander is what it is ---- "they" were protecting Phil or thought they were --- but I intend to hold my head high and march past and over the mud. Last, I have 4 children and I never beat any of them --- the older two in there 20's have even helped with my campaign even though they refuse to be registered Democrats --- reading your false allegation has been hurtful. Your false allegation about my children is a demonstration of what verbal abuse is and it is also a demonstration of my prior comment: this (reporting system) as good as passing a law to do away with septic systems and let the waste flow into the streets.
Greg Fischer October 15, 2012 at 04:16 am
Thanks Melissa. More women have to speak up --- I get calls about false allegations against women all the time but very few speak up. Now that the law has been extended to include even casual dating relationships more and more kids will be dragged into it the world of false allegations, put into this system, and be marked for life in employment, credit, promotions, security clearances, travel, professional licensing, etc. There will be a lot of unintended consequences for sure.
Ranger Sewer October 15, 2012 at 11:04 am
It's one of those pesky facts how MEN are outright abused by the legal system. Another Pesky Fact is how woman lowered the bar in who they sleep with.
Seadog24 October 15, 2012 at 11:20 am
Your Right!
The One October 17, 2012 at 09:15 pm
So-called "domestic" cases have a very high rate of false allegations, false prosecutions, and false convictions. it seems any gender war laws, sex crimes and domestic disputes, are the cases that tend to overlook the constitutional rules of procedure, such as actually presenting evidence a crime took place. In many so-called domestic violence cases, it comes down to he-said-she-said, no evidence, yet the courts favor the woman.
The most famous case i can think of is the case of the woman who claimed David Letterman was sending her subliminal messages through his late night talk show and got a protection from abuse order against him, and actually got a judge to sign it. This is nothing but another stunt by groups like PFML and Laura Ahern to make money off the misinformation campaign.
Howie October 18, 2012 at 06:41 am
That's right "Ginger Scotch" , you don't know me. So why are you implying that I even have a record? I have never committed domestic violence nor have I ever been accused of it. Why do you insinuate that I have a record? Please take back your slander and stick to topics you know about.
Ginger Scotch October 19, 2012 at 08:13 pm
"I threw a blow" = you hit someone, with the intent of hitting someone. This would be a crime even if it weren't a family member. You had other options were your intent merely to "defend" your home and property from being "touched".
And your arrest disproves Greg's assertion that only men get arrested.
Ginger Scotch October 19, 2012 at 08:57 pm
Howie, you need to improve your reading comprehension. I responded to endabuseeverywhere's post, trying to offer some insight into one of the negative posters. It is a small town, so indeed I probably know you.
Don't be duped by Greg Fischer, my first paragraph is based on the letter the editor from Women of the Democratic Committee which appeared in the News Review. I had nothing to do with that letter; I am not on any political committees. As for Greg's children, I only referred to the 2 minor children, because: (1) in his initial post he slanders their mother yet again, and (2) I know his 2 children. Riverhead is a small town, and there are a lot of people who know Greg by sight but who he does not know. We're the little people, I guess... Most of us would prefer to stay that way. As for this database... What is so wrong with compiling data and getting actual statistics, as opposed to anecdotal?
Greg Fischer October 19, 2012 at 11:25 pm
Ginger Scotch: I did not say that; in fact searching on "only men" yields only one posting and that is yours. I don't not know why you are fixated on me but it is abusive.
Greg Fischer October 19, 2012 at 11:34 pm
Ginger Scotch: again, I don't know why you are fixated on me. However, I have just asked the News-Review to take down that libelous and slanderous letter you refer to. Those people who submitted the letter were wrong on the facts and commited libel and slander. I did not slander anyone, I merely stated the facts. Anyway you should concern yourself with the issues and not with personalities. (If you are who I think you are, haven't you been banned from enough forums/publications yet?)
Walter S October 20, 2012 at 01:01 am
With the amount of money needed to defend ones self against these allegations, if it is found that the petitioner is lying and making up false allegations just to make someone else's life miserable, those costs should revert back to the accuser. In the case of an order of protection, the defendant is automatically guilty based upon the plantiff's say so. Ask any lawyer. It is very unfortunate when the ones who really need that order of protection are grouped with the ones playing the system (which I believe are the majority) but do orders of protection really protect someone or do they just aggravate the situation and make it worse? They are costly and could cause a person to lose everything they have worked a lifetime to obtain because of lawyer costs since you have to prove your innocence- in these cases it is not "your innocent until proven guilty", it is exactly the opposite. The judges have to implement them in all cases to protect themselves- all orders of protection are granted. This applies to women as much as men when they are subject to one of these orders. It is all about the system and the lawyers love it, they see the dollar signs.

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n.mcgrath June 14, 2013 at 10:30 am
There is a "deadzone" on Box Tree Road for years already!
bchbum11968 June 14, 2013 at 06:37 pm
It's more than just E Quogue/Westhampton. There are so many people out here and not enoughRead More bandwidth. Maybe cell tower opposition needs to be re looked at!