Every day across Ohio, police officers respond to calls that rarely make headlines but quietly strain our public safety system: calls related to intimate partner violence (IPV).
These aren’t one-time emergencies. Many are repeat calls to the same homes, involving the same families, and escalating over time. While these calls may seem routine, their impact on law enforcement and communities is anything but small.
According to a 2024 statewide analysis, intimate partner violence costs Ohio more than $1.1 billion every year. That total includes healthcare, lost productivity, court costs, and incarceration. And it costs more than $7.5 million annually in direct policing alone.
Those numbers represent patrol responses, arrests, report writing, court appearances, overtime, and the risks officers face when responding to volatile domestic situations.
Responding to IPV calls is among the most dangerous work law enforcement officers do. Emotions run high. Weapons are often present. Situations can become violent in seconds.
An officer may spend hours on a single IPV incident. They may secure the scene, separate parties, make an arrest, document injuries, and possibly appear in court. When the same household calls again weeks later, the process begins all over again.
These repeat calls pull officers away from other community needs. They increase burnout. And they place long-term strain on departments already operating with limited staffing and resources.
What often drives repeat police involvement isn’t a lack of enforcement. It’s a lack of safe alternatives for victims and a lack of accountability for abusers.
Many survivors call 911 because they have nowhere else to go. Without access to meaningful justice, emergency shelter, legal advocacy, or safe housing, survivors may be forced to remain in or return to dangerous situations. That cycle keeps police responding to crises instead of preventing them.
This is where prevention becomes a public safety strategy and a smart investment in our communities.
When survivors can access shelter and support, the pattern changes.
Safe Shelter provides immediate safety. Advocacy helps survivors navigate protection orders and the court system. Counseling and trauma-informed services reduce healing. Long-term housing stability helps break the cycle altogether.
Each of these steps reduces the likelihood of repeat crisis calls. They keep families and officers safer.
Across Ohio, domestic violence programs are quietly doing this work every day. In 2023 alone, member organizations of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network answered more than 105,000 crisis calls and sheltered over 8,600 survivors statewide.
Bethany House is one of those organizations. And our role extends far beyond shelter.
Serving communities across Northwest Ohio, Bethany House offers housing stability and wraparound services that help survivors rebuild their lives, not just survive the moment. By reducing repeat crises, Bethany House functions as a true partner in public safety. We support law enforcement by addressing the root causes that lead to repeated emergency calls. And our work has earned us the honor of being named Nonprofit of the Year by the Greater Toledo Community Foundation and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
This work changes individual lives, strengthens neighborhoods, protects officers, and helps communities use public safety resources more effectively.
When communities invest only in crisis response, police are left managing problems that could have been prevented in the first place.
But when communities invest in shelters, prevention, and survivor support, everyone benefits.
Survivors gain safety and stability. Communities become safer and more resilient.
Behind every statistic is a family seeking safety, an officer answering another call, and a community bearing the cost.
By supporting organizations like Bethany House, we’re not just helping intimate partner violence survivors. We’re investing in smarter public safety and a stronger Ohio.
Want to get involved? Subscribe to the Bethany House newsletter or see how you can help support survivors and build safer communities.