TOLEDO, Ohio — More than half of Toledo's homicides for 2022 are believed to have involved domestic abuse.
It's an issue that's seen an increase both statewide and locally.
And now, Toledo City Council is stepping in to try and end the alarming trend.
"I personally have a family member lost to domestic violence, so it is important that we deal with this issue," council member Cerssandra McPhearson said.
Members of Toledo City Council took time today to outline how they plan to address the violence after three women have been killed by the hands of their abusers in the last two months.
"Ashley Darrington, Whitney Wade, Sarah Shulte, all were murdered in our city this year by men with who they have had relationships," council member Michele Grim said.
City council is addressing the issue with the recently passed 2022 city budget by using money to hire more people.
Within the budget is a new effort to help reverse the increasing trend of local domestic violence cases. Council member George Sarantou says it's a three-pronged approach using city council, Toledo police and the municipal courts.
"The police and the prosecutor's office have been working very diligently in this area, but we just don't have enough staff," Sarantou said. "That's why we adopted increases in personnel for this and we're prepared to add more to that. It's a critical priority that we have right now in the city of Toledo."
Council members are looking to add at least three new employees dedicated to reducing domestic violence.
The goal is to hire a second domestic violence prosecutor, an additional clerk to help in municipal court and have Toledo Police assign a second detective to these kinds of cases.
"It's a tad under $200,000 that we're adding to the general fund budget," Sarantou said. "We're also going to talk to the administration, the mayor's office, regarding using some of the ARPA money, the extra American Rescue money, to see if we can boost up some of the resources for that."
City council members believe these additional employees will help with prosecuting abusers and getting victims to safety more effectively.
"Reducing Toledo's alarming homicide rate demands that we do more to stop domestic violence and to protect and support survivors and hold abusers accountable," Grim said.
City council is also planning on holding a candlelight vigil on Tuesday, March 15, for victims of domestic violence. It will be at Sanger Branch Library, starting at 5:30 p.m.
If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, additional resources are available below: