D.A. Expands Early Engagement to Strengthen Cases, Support Survivors Before Arrests Are Made
D.A. Invests $148K in Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation to Provide Comprehensive Services
This October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced recent investments and expansions of initiatives to combat domestic and intimate-partner violence in Upper Manhattan. The D.A.’s Office expanded its early engagement efforts and pre-arrest investigations and also invested approximately $148,000 in the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation to provide community-based services for survivors of intimate-partner violence.
“Early intervention in intimate-partner violence is key to saving lives,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Our goal is to identify misdemeanor offenses that signal a high risk of escalation to more serious violence and then intervene with urgency and appropriate resources before those situations spiral into serious danger. When we engage with survivors as early as possible, we can connect them with our Survivor Services Bureau and community-based partners to help develop safety plans, provide counseling, and more. When we investigate before an arrest is made, we preserve evidence and strengthen our cases, helping hold more abusers accountable.
“I thank Maria Lizardo and NMIC for their ongoing commitment to supporting survivors of intimate-partner violence and look forward to continuing to work together to strengthen our resources available in Upper Manhattan.”
Expanding Early Engagement
Upper Manhattan experiences high rates of intimate partner violence. From 2015 through 2022, Inwood and Washington Heights had the highest number of intimate partner-related homicides in all of Manhattan; accordingly, the Office’s early engagement efforts first launched in the 33rd and 34th precincts in August 2025. This spring, we expanded to the 23rd Precinct.
The English and Spanish-speaking team – based in the Office’s Washington Heights location – is a proactive, pre-arrest intervention model focused on misdemeanor intimate-partner violence cases. The team identifies high-risk cases as early as possible by reviewing misdemeanor intimate-partner violence complaints where no arrest has occurred within 24 hours. The team engages survivors during this critical pre-arrest period, connecting them with the Office’s Survivor Services Bureau or community-based organizations for safety planning and other services.
The team also screens for lethality indicators and conducts pre-arrest investigations into allegations such as assault, strangulation, and violations of court orders of protection, while preserving evidence and coordinating investigative responses with the NYPD. The Office’s Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Bureau conducts these same screenings for felony cases.
In the year since the program was launched as a pilot, the Office launched approximately 180 pre-arrest investigations and connected 37 survivors to services before an arrest was made.
Investing in Services for Survivors
In recognition of the importance of a non-government, community-based option, this fall, the Office awarded approximately $148,000 to the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (“NMIC”) to provide comprehensive services to survivors of intimate-partner and domestic violence.
A longtime leader in the survivor advocacy space, NMIC offers bilingual community-based counseling, case management, and legal services for victims and survivors of intimate partner violence.
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