Slaughter Announces $766,150 Grant to Assist Buffalo's Efforts Against Domestic Violence

Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY-28), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee announced last week that the City of Buffalo has been granted $766,150 from the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women.

The Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies Program, part of the Department of Justice, awarded the money to BE-SAFE (Buffalo and Erie County Stopping Abuse in the Family Environment), a cooperative effort between local law enforcement, prosecutors, and the judiciary, as well as battered women’s shelters and victim services agencies.

The money will be used to assist BE-SAFE in their efforts to develop a coordinated community response to domestic violence.

“Having served as an original author of 1994’s Violence Against Women Act, I know how much of an impact a program like BE-SAFE can have on our ongoing campaign to end domestic violence,” Rep. Slaughter said. “Our homes should be places where families feel safe. This funding is going to make our legal system more responsive to the needs of victims, and more able to prosecute those who have shaken the foundation of Buffalo families through violence.”

The grant will allow BE-SAFE to focus on numerous aspects of its efforts to curb domestic violence, including investigation, counseling, and prosecution. It will fund increased training for law enforcement and a full-time Assistant District Attorney, criminal investigator, and senior caseworker working exclusively for the domestic violence unit, among other programs.

The Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program implements parts of the Violence Against Women Act, of which Congresswoman Slaughter was an original author. The program enhances victim safety and offender accountability in domestic violence cases by encouraging jurisdictions to implement mandatory and pro-arrest policies as an effective domestic violence intervention that is part of a coordinated community response.