The Law Enforcement Handbook for Working with Victims of Domestic Violence

This handbook offers law enforcement officers practical, field-ready guidance for responding to and investigating domestic violence incidents. It focuses on safety, offender accountability, and victim access to support by explaining the dynamics of abuse and providing effective, evidence-informed strategies.

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Advocacy Day 2026

More than 160 advocates from ODVN and 63 member programs gathered at the Riffe Center in downtown Columbus on Feb. 17 for ODVN’s 2026 Advocacy Day. They attended more than 100 meetings with legislators and/or legislative aides to urge them to vote for three bills.

Documenting Danger

ODVN’s new report, Documenting Danger: What Police Reports Tell Us About Brain Injury in Domestic Violence highlights brain injury as a defining feature of most criminal domestic violence cases involving physical violence. This has direct consequences for police response, victim safety, and justice system outcomes.

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Bridging the Gaps: Recommendations for Improving Safety and Services

Bridging the Gaps: Recommendations for Improving Safety and Services, ODVN’s statewide needs assessment final report evaluating survivor experiences with Ohio’s domestic violence programs is now available. This survey, funded by the Office of Criminal Justice Services, captures the voices of 439 survivors across Ohio and provides insight into both the strengths of our current services and the barriers survivors still face.

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2025 the most lethal year for DV homicides in Ohio, according to 10th annual fatality count

ODVN presented its 11th Annual Fatality Report at its annual DVAM press conference in the Capitol atrium on Oct. 21. More than 200 people attended. The 2026 count was the second deadline year for domestic violence, with nearly half of victims killed while trying to leave their abusers. A total of 134 people died, down from 157 deaths in 2024-2025. Together, the past two years mark the highest fatality levels since ODVN began tracking. The deaths occurred between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.

DVAM 2026 Press Release

Our Organization

ODVN’s purpose is to support and strengthen Ohio’s response to domestic violence through training, public awareness, and technical assistance and to promote social change through the implementation of public policy. ODVN maintains a commitment to the empowerment of battered survivors and their children, as well as the elimination of violence wherever it occurs—whether in personal relationships or broader systems.

Our Mission

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network advances the principles that all people have the right to an oppression and violence-free life; fosters changes in our economic, social, and political systems; and brings leadership, expertise, and best practices to community programs.

Who We Are

Membership

By becoming a member of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN), you benefit over 70 local domestic violence programs statewide. It is critical we continue our leadership role in domestic violence advocacy and education across Ohio. Your concern and generosity help to ensure that this work will continue.

Membership