SC domestic violence task force complains about bad data

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A task force studying South Carolina’s domestic violence problem says its efforts are made tougher because of poor data collection.

The governor set up a 136-member task force that broke into 12 groups to discuss the problem. They all met again Tuesday.

Corrections Department researcher Charles Bradberry says the state’s system of reporting data through incident reports can present faulty data when crimes aren’t reported as domestic violence or sections of the report about the relationship between the suspect and victim are not filled out.

Richland County had the state’s highest crime rate in 2012, but its domestic violence rate was 41st out of 46 counties. Bradberry says that doesn’t make sense.

Other groups found schools with no domestic violence programs and providers of services to victims that don’t coordinate.