By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Monmouth County announced that the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office launched a newly created, specialized Domestic Violence Unit this week.
Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago stated the investigative Unit, located at MCPO headquarters in Freehold Township, will be separate and distinct from the Family and Juvenile Unit and will focus on investigations and prosecutions of incidents of intimate partner violence (IPV), a term referring specifically to abuse or aggression occurring during or after a romantic relationship, involving current or former spouses or dating partners.
“It is our firm expectation that this new Unit will thoroughly reinvent how such cases are handled in Monmouth County, making all such prosecutions far more efficient and effective,” Prosecutor Santiago said.
“Incidents of domestic violence represent by far the most common type of the several thousand indictable crimes our Office prosecutes every year, and each and every case features a wide range of unique challenges facing the dedicated men and women who strive to bring these perpetrators to justice.”
According to officials, the new Unit will have a staff of six, led by veteran Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Dugan, who will supervise a second Assistant Prosecutor.
Two Detectives and a dedicated support staff will also be specifically assigned to the Unit, officials say.
Authorities say the Unit’s work will intersect with that of partner agencies, including the Monmouth County Abuse Intervention Program, Hazlet-based 180 Turning Lives Around, and the Asbury Park-based Community Affairs and Resource Center (CARC) and Mercy Center.
The Unit will operate similarly to MCPO’s existing investigative units, providing logistical and on-the-ground support to local agencies on their cases in matters such as taking victim statements and interviewing witnesses, officials said.
The aim is ultimately to help victims stuck in the cycle of domestic violence free themselves – ideally, in some cases, achieving the ability to prosecute even in the absence of direct trial testimony, allowing victims to avoid the trauma of reliving the crimes committed against them in the same room as the individuals who committed them, officials stated.
“The development of this new Unit has been a top priority of mine from the day I took office nearly two years ago, and the motivation has been both personal and professional – I myself experienced the damaging effects that domestic violence can have on a family as a child growing up, and throughout two decades of private law practice, I served innumerable clients who had endured those same effects themselves,” Prosecutor Santiago said.
“Domestic violence leaves many scars that don’t heal quite right, and many others that never heal at all. I want to create greater opportunities to break the cycle of domestic violence and its impact on families.”
Officials said statistics maintained by the New Jersey State Police show that approximately 60,000 domestic violence offenses are reported by local police in an average year in the Garden State – a total of 164 daily, or one every eight and a half minutes.
The most common types of such offenses are harassment and assault, and children are present to witness the abuse about a quarter of the time, officials say.
The National Library of Medicine noted in 2023 that domestic violence affects an estimated 10 million people across the U.S. annually, with as many as 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men becoming victims of domestic violence throughout their lifetimes, according to officials.
If you or someone you care about is actively experiencing or witnessing an incident of domestic violence, call 911 immediately.