Domestic Violence Offender Project (DVOP)

In 2019, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department reported 560 domestic violence incidents about 83% (465 of 560) of those calls were intimate partner violence. Intimate partner violence is an enormous problem; it ranks among the top calls for services to police departments and the effects are profoundly damaging to individuals, families, and communities.

To address this problem, Dutchess County is implementing the Domestic Violence Offender Project (DVOP), starting with the City of Poughkeepsie. The DVOP is an offender-focused, victim-centered strategy which includes tailored interventions based upon different tiers of offending. The DVOP is designed to hold accountable domestic violence offenders in our community who are known to law enforcement with the goal of reducing violence, recidivism, and interrupting the escalation of violence. The DVOP also provides a connection to case management services for offenders. The goal is to establish strong norms against domestic violence while offering offenders’ resources to change their behavior.

The DVOP is a close interagency partnership between law enforcement, prosecutors, probation, and services providers. Dutchess County leads implementation of the DVOP through a partnership with the: