New Orleans Launches Comprehensive Report on Domestic Violence Response

Domestic violence remains a pressing issue in New Orleans, where thousands are affected annually, with an average of 14 fatalities due to domestic violence-related incidents. In an effort to address this crisis, the New Orleans Health Department's Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault program has released a comprehensive report on the city's domestic violence response. The report highlights the urgent need for better coordination and intervention, as well as practical steps to protect survivors, hold offenders accountable, and improve the response system.

Key Takeaways:

The New Orleans Police Department received 11,633 DV-related incident reports in 2024, with 7,380 being domestic disturbances and 4,253 being domestic violence crimes.
Among the 7,754 victims contacted, 45% (3,539) were successfully contacted and offered safety planning and resources, while only 2% declined services.
The most common types of domestic violence crimes reported were simple battery domestic incidents and protective order violations.
Risk assessments, used to predict the likelihood of abuse resulting in a fatality, identified key risk factors such as strangulation and the presence of a firearm.
Strangulation was found to be a significant warning sign, with survivors of non-fatal strangulation 7.5 times more likely to be killed by the same partner.
The New Orleans Health Department has taken steps to address these issues, including creating a new advocate role in the Criminal District Court, expanding civil legal help, and launching a gun safety education program.

Statistics:

11,633 DV-related incident reports received by the New Orleans Police Department in 2024.
7,380 domestic disturbances reported, with no crime committed.
4,253 domestic violence crimes reported, with simple battery domestic incidents being the most common.
45% of victims contacted were successfully offered safety planning and resources.
46% of high-risk cases had a history of violence or disturbances.
72% of high-risk cases had a history of violence or disturbances, showing domestic violence tends to get worse over time.
7.5 times more likely for survivors of non-fatal strangulation to be killed by the same partner.
5 times more likely for a fatal outcome in a domestic violence situation with a firearm present.
3,000 biometric gun safes distributed to families in need through the gun safety education program.

Sources:

City of New Orleans
New Orleans Health Department
New Orleans Police Department
New Orleans Family Justice Center
Orleans Parish Communications District
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services