Yonkers police dedicate first domestic violence unit since 2009
Officers Genesis Vasquez and Makena Raffa work hard to support survivors of domestic violence.
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The Yonkers Police Department relaunched a domestic violence unit that went away more than a decade ago due to budget cuts.
Officers Genesis Vasquez and Makena Raffa work hard to support survivors of domestic violence.
"We just want to help the victims stay safe, hold offenders accountable, and keeping the community safe," Raffa said.
The two officers and their supervisor, Sgt. Robert Spink, make up the Yonkers Police Department's Domestic Violence Unit.
The unit relaunched earlier this month and is the first dedicated domestic violence unit in Yonkers since 2009.
According to Raffa, the officers primarily focus on victim outreach.
"So, we're not actually going out and responding to the domestic violence calls, we get notified afterwards and then we'll contact the victim first to see how we can help them," Raffa said.
Spink said the unit went away previously because of budget cuts.
They decided to bring it back now because it is being funded by an initiative run by the governor.
While funding is guaranteed for a year, Spink said they expect it to be extended.
"Obviously, this is not a problem specific to Yonkers. This is a statewide issue. It's a national issue. We're hoping we can see a plateau followed by a reduction," Spink said.
Spink added that the unit's relaunch also comes as felony domestic violence incidents in Yonkers reached a five-year high in 2024, with a 42% increase from pre-pandemic reports.
"So, this is primarily a direct result of that fact and it's very necessary to try and eat away at that increase," Spink said.
Department officials said they've already helped around 50 victims since the unit relaunched earlier this month.
The officers said the unit also has a person who speaks Spanish because they want to assist as many people in need as possible.
For more information about the unit, please visit this website.
