WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — At 37 years old, Gemma Burlakoff became one of three women to die at the hands of their spouse or partner in Palm Beach County in October, a month dedicated to domestic violence awareness.

Nicole Bishop is the director of victim’s services in Palm Beach County. She said calls for crimes related to domestic violence are on the rise.

“It’s heartbreaking and we just want it to stop,” she said.

Bishop said between 2009 and 2011 there were 40 domestic violence homicides.

The U.S Justice Department recently awarded Palm Beach County a $200,000 grant. The domestic violence homicide prevention demonstration initiative is a project aimed at monitoring high risk domestic violence offenders and identifying possible victims.

The project was developed at John’s Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Nearly $140,000 of the grant will be used for research.

The county is partnering with Florida State University’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice to look at data from local hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and domestic violence shelters.

Story by Lynn Gordon, CBS 12 News

For more information, please contact George Pesta, Associate Director, Center for Criminology & Public Policy Research.