Domestic violence deaths in Colorado spiked to a record high in 2022 for the second year in a row, according to a report published Monday by the state’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board.
Ninety-four people died in domestic violence incidents in Colorado in 2022, the highest number recorded since the state began tracking the deaths in 2016, according to the 75-page report.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who chairs the fatality review board, said Friday that authorities aren’t sure whether fatalities are high because the state is doing a better job identifying and tracking domestic violence deaths, or because of an actual rise in domestic violence.“The number of fatalities really just scratches the surface for those who are adjacent to or close to domestic violence,” Weiser said.
The high fatalities in 2022 might also be attributed to the state’s poor mental health care, a lack of resources for victims early on in the cycle of domestic violence, or to the wide availability of guns, Weiser said.“There are two broad explanations to look at: there’s more violence happening for different reasons, or we’re getting better at assessing domestic-violence-related fatalities,” he said.
“This extraordinary increase in the last two years is deeply concerning and emphasizes that the lethal threat often extends beyond the DV victims ,” the report states.Crime and Public Safety |A senior living resident in Louisville was arrested for domestic violence. Police say it never happened, and now staffers face criminal charges.
The review board made several recommendations for reducing domestic violence deaths in the state, including increasing the use of risk assessment tools, using the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to enforce court orders around gun relinquishment, and increasing statewide collaboration between agencies that track and monitor domestic violence deaths.
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