VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Overall crime is at a record low in Volusia County, but reports of domestic violence have increased more than 13 percent, according to the Sheriff's Office.
- First six months of 2019, there were 787 domestic violence-related cases
- In 2018 during the same time, there were 694 cases
- Read more about the Volusia County crime rate
In the first six months of the year, 787 domestic violence-related cases were reported to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, compared to 694 cases during that period last year.
Authorities attribute the uptick to a 13.4 percent increase in simple assault, the most common type of domestic incident. Advocates believe cases of assault remain higher than reported, but more survivors are feeling comfortable enough to come forward.
Angie Pye heads the Beacon Center in Daytona Beach, it is part of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She believes an emphasis on hard evidence as opposed to victims' testimony may help stem the tide of violence.
"We just need to be sure that we're really focusing on the decisions and the choices that the perpetrator is making over the non-crime related choices that the victim may be making," she explained. "You can't set up a practice or a protocol or policy that is rooted in the survivor-making decisions to change the batterer's behavior. It would be like trying to teach people not to park their car in a place where their car would get stolen. You can't do it."
Pye is urging law enforcement to continue to gather as much evidence as possible in domestic violence cases so those crimes can be prosecuted without the victim, in case they do not feel comfortable testifying.
She says an estimated one in 100 survivors of domestic violence report the abuse.