Columbus police observe anniversary of STOP anti-domestic violence program

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – It’s been one year since the City of Columbus and Columbus Division of Police launched the “STOP” program, aimed at preventing domestic violence homicides.

“STOP” stands for strangulation team operations for prosecution. The officers go through 80 hours of training to better identify strangulation cases. They’re also learning how to investigate a domestic violence case and engage with victims.

“We see things now that we never saw before, especially because of strangulation,” said Columbus Police Officer Joshua Bell.

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More than 50 patrol officers have volunteered to be a part of the Columbus Division of Police’s “STOP” team. The team was formed after a law passed in 2023 making strangulation a felony in the state – the same year the City of Columbus was experiencing a massive surge in domestic violence-related homicides with a total of 25 all year. So far this year there have been four. Bell said the way officers approach those cases has changed.

“So before, patrol doesn’t really have much follow up with our victims,” Bell said. “It’s given us a direct path to be able to communicate with them and help them when they have questions with the process and help them be able to stay more informed with their case. And also, it’s helped them to be able to follow through.”

Police said in the last year, this team has investigated more than 300 strangulation domestic violence cases. City Attorney Zach Klein said these cases can be complex. He said the training these officers are getting helps prosecutors to build the strongest possible case against the suspect.

“That partnership that we have with the division of police helps build the evidence in the right package so that the prosecutors at the county level can put these people behind bars where they belong. They are threatening their families. They’re a threat to society,” Klein said.

Tuesday, each officer on the stop team got a custom pin for their uniform and a custom coin to recognize their hard work. Bell said they feel the impact they are making every day.

“Like they said in the meeting, once you have a strangled someone strangled one time there’s 750 times more likely to be murdered by that same person. So when we can step in and help and take a person out of that situation or walk someone else, even walk a suspect up, even if it’s just for that night to end that situation and make it to where it’s not not so volatile, then that for us that’s a window,” Bell said.

Columbus police said since the formation of the STOP team and the passing of the strangulation law, the number of domestic violence felony cases turned into the Franklin County Prosecutor has more than doubled. City officials said the first ever $1 million bond for a domestic violence suspect was a result of the work of this team.

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