Broome County launches collaborative strangulation response program

DICKINSON, N.Y. (WBNG) -- Several Broome County officials gathered Thursday to announce the launch of a new program aimed at cracking down on strangulation cases around the area. Danielle Nuzzo from the Crime Victims Assistance Center said strangulation is a major predictor of future violence.

“80% of our law enforcement who are killed are killed by someone who has had a domestic violence history,” Nuzzo said. “30% of those offenders have a non-fatal strangulation history. These are the folks who we see, unfortunately, on the news involved in mass shootings and other horrible, horrible acts of violence.”

Officials say strangulation can leave lasting symptoms not visible to medical staff or investigators and thus can be left undiagnosed.

District Attorney Paul Battisti explains law enforcement and EMS have been given training to identify more subtle indications.

“Now those individuals are going to be getting medical exams. So, we’re going to have medical documentation,” Battisti said. “We’re going to have testing done at medical facilities that will be able to see what the eye can’t see.”

Captain with the Broome County Sheriff’s Office Ben Harding said these newly detailed exams and evaluations performed by EMS will allow for Streamlined communication between medical providers, law enforcement and prosecutors.

“The hospital system has a very robust protocol in place to follow through with strangulations. And then advocates are along with them the whole time,” Harding said. “In a lot of the severe cases, the law enforcement will be in contact with the district attorney’s office and communicating with them on what potential charges are coming and what avenues we can go with.”

In the end, officials including EMS coordinator Dave Tinklepaugh said this program is about saving lives.

“If this has happened once, it will happen again. And if it happens again, it will happen a third or fourth time,” Tinklepaugh said. “So, this is a form of abuse that just will continue to go until there is that high risk of homicide. So, we’re trying to capture this early and give a voice to those that really have a sense of hopelessness.”

Officials said victims of strangulation are 750% more likely to be victims of homicide, and the new collaboration aims to get ahead of future escalations.