ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York is launching a statewide system to promptly tell domestic violence victims by email, text, fax or automated call when family court orders of protection are served so they can better prepare for what advocates and police call an often heightened threat.
Safety plans can include moving to another community or even another state when expecting an abuser to lash out.
Following a pilot program, authorities say their program will extend statewide to 57 counties this week and New York City early next year.
Victims have to register for notifications.
A federal survey estimated 3.2 million U.S. women were assaulted by an intimate partner in 2010. New York family courts issued nearly 14,000 temporary orders of protection and state data showed 73 homicides and 29,000 partner assaults that year.
