What you should know
- New Unit to Have Approximately 450 Dedicated Domestic Violence Investigators to Solve Cases Faster, Build Stronger Relationships with Domestic Violence Survivors
- Announcement Comes as October Marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch today marked Domestic Violence Awareness Month by announcing the launch of the NYPD’s Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) — the largest unit of its kind in the nation that will allow the NYPD to enhance how it investigates domestic violence incidents and train officers while strengthening support for survivors. The new unit will have approximately 450 domestic violence investigators who will be fully dedicated to prevention and investigating domestic violence cases, while building stronger relationships with survivors. The full roll-out will begin next week, and the new unit will operate across all five boroughs.
“Public safety is not limited to our streets and subways, it extends to our homes, too, where we have seen violence against women, domestic violence, and gender-based violence continue to cause pain. Domestic violence rips people's lives apart, and we have a sacred duty to protect survivors of domestic and gender-based violence,” said Mayor Adams. “With the creation of the NYPD’s Domestic Violence Unit, we are going to make survivors feel safer in their homes. This new investigative unit will handle the entire domestic violence process for victims, which means more resources to help victims and more cops to bring abusers to justice. New Yorkers can rest assured knowing the full force of the law is coming after those who perpetrate these crimes.”
“As we mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are taking nation-leading action to be more supportive and responsive to survivors. The new Domestic Violence Unit at the NYPD will offer more highly-trained officers who are laser-focused on the needs and complexities of domestic violence cases, including more connections to supports for survivors and help for people causing harm,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Suzanne Miles-Gustave. “Thank you to the teams at NYPD and the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence for continuing to pursue novel approaches that address this critical issue. To all those survivors out there, your city stands ready to support you.”
“For the first time in more than 30 years, the NYPD is making fundamental changes to how we respond to, investigate, and follow-through on domestic violence cases,” said NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “Domestic violence is as devastating as it is pervasive, and these complex cases require specialized training, skills, and investigators who will approach them with the care and compassion they demand. This is a survivor-centric, trauma-informed approach that is focused on survivor safety, taking violent predators out of our communities, and preventing the next incident before it’s too late.”
“Centering survivors is critical to addressing domestic violence in our city,” said Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) Commissioner Saloni Sethi. “True support is built on trust — and we applaud the NYPD’s investment in additional resources to help build that trust with survivors who choose to engage with law enforcement. Collectively, the changes in the NYPD's response to domestic violence will ensure a consistent, trauma-informed approach to survivors, reducing barriers so that survivors get the support they deserve. ENDGBV is proud to continue partnering with the NYPD as they implement these changes and make New York City a leader in collaborative, survivor-centered responses to domestic violence.”
“As one of the most common crimes in New York and in the nation, intimate-partner and domestic violence demands innovative, comprehensive solutions,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr. “Centralizing domestic violence arrests and investigations and supporting the development of expert personnel will help keep survivors safe and ensure more offenders are held accountable. I welcome the NYPD’s announcement this Domestic Violence Awareness Month and look forward to continuing to work alongside Commissioner Tisch and her team to keep New Yorkers safe.”
Today’s announcement sadly comes as domestic violence incidents continue to rise across the nation. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 40 percent of felony assaults in New York City are related to domestic violence. The NYPD is taking a forward-looking approach to addressing this growing crisis — holding internal and external focus groups, surveying the current roster of officers assigned to domestic violence cases, survivors of domestic violence, and consulting with numerous outside agencies and organizations, including the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic Gender-Based Violence, the Nassau and Suffolk County police departments, and Safe Horizon executives to develop the new DVU.
DVU’s bold, new approach begins with how the department interacts with survivors. Approximately 450 domestic violence police officers and detectives will be reassigned from the Patrol Services Bureau and Housing Bureau to the Detective Bureau, where they will lead domestic violence investigations from beginning to end. Previously, precinct and housing officers — as well as detectives from local precinct squads — were designated to work on domestic violence cases, resulting in duplication of work at multiple points. Through this approach, domestic violence casework will be streamlined — with DVU investigators taking on added responsibility for each case, and with survivors benefiting from consistent support, efficient investigations, and successful case outcomes.
In coordination with survivors and domestic violence organizations, the NYPD enhanced training for all officers in the new investigative unit. Previously, officers received training in survivor interaction, child abuse, human trafficking, and elder abuse investigations, often condensed into a single-day session. Now, the training will be expanded to a mandatory two-day, in-person training, as well as additional virtual sessions, so they can formally learn to advance investigative skills, peer support, and interrogation techniques.
The NYPD is also introducing two new roles to support best practices and support training: domestic violence counsel and domestic violence director of prevention & intervention. The domestic violence counsels will work with the city’s five district attorneys to prioritize the needs of survivors and build successful cases and prosecutions. Then, the domestic violence directors of prevention & intervention will formalize and expand training programs for police officers who interact with domestic violence survivors and offenders.
To assist with apprehensions, the NYPD will also establish Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Investigation Card (“I-Card”) Teams — comprised of eight sergeants and 40 detectives and police officers — to locate and apprehend suspects wanted for domestic violence offenses. This critical intervention tactic acknowledges the complex dynamics of domestic violence incidents and gets help for persons doing harm, while keeping survivors and families safe.
The DVU will be led by Deputy Chief John Corbisiero, who will report directly to Citywide Investigations, led by Assistant Chief Michael Baldassano under Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. Corbisiero — a 40-year veteran of the NYPD — rose through the ranks, including as commanding officer of Brooklyn’s 90th Precinct, Narcotics Borough Queens South, and the Chief of Department’s Domestic Violence Unit. In his new position, Deputy Chief Corbisiero will lead the approximately 450 investigators across five borough-based zones.
“The South Asian Women Project applauds this historic step to strengthen support for survivors of domestic violence,” said Rahnum Tasnuva, founder and executive director, South Asian Women Project. “This initiative reflects a significant policy advancement toward strengthening survivor protections, enhancing culturally competent responses, and ensuring equitable access to justice. We look forward to continued collaboration with city leadership and law enforcement to ensure that survivors from all communities, including South Asian immigrant populations, receive the comprehensive and respectful support they deserve.”
“Sanctuary for Families commends NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Mayor Adams for their leadership in strengthening New York City’s response to domestic violence,” said Judy Kluger, chief executive officer, Sanctuary for Families. “It is our hope that this new initiative will enhance the NYPD’s capacity to build skilled, trauma-informed, and evidence-based investigations that better support survivors. Domestic violence cases are among the most complex and dangerous our city faces, and we look forward to continued collaboration to ensure that every survivor receives the protection and justice they deserve.”
“These smart and strategic enhancements to the NYPD’s domestic violence infrastructure have the potential to make a marked difference in the experience of survivors who interact with the department,” said Liz Roberts, chief executive officer, Safe Horizon. “We applaud Commissioner Tisch and her team for the thorough and thoughtful process that produced this plan. We look forward to collaborating with the DVU through our Crime Victim Assistance Program, which provides client-centered, trauma-informed advocacy on site in every precinct in the city, working side by side with Domestic Violence Investigators every day.”
If you are a survivor of rape, sexual assault, or any domestic violence-related crime, please come forward. Locate a police officer, head to the nearest police station, or call 911.
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