State money for domestic violence runs through the Division of Child and Family Services. Spending the past three years has ranged from $5 million to $5.5 million annually. Betournay expects it to be about the same this year. It mostly goes to victim counseling and offender treatment.

Most domestic violence dollars in Utah come through federal sources like the U.S. Office of Violence Against Women. Those are not guaranteed, leaving agencies scrambling each year to keep programs afloat.

Costs to run Utah's 16 domestic violence shelters have increased dramatically the past seven years, according to the Utah Domestic Violence Council. On average, liability insurance ballooned 140 percent, medical insurance 99 percent, payroll expenses 50.6 percent and utilities 119 percent.

Meanwhile, government funding has remained flat. One shelter, South Valley Sanctuary, recently hosted a bingo party featuring the Utah Cyber Sluts, a cross-dressing comedy troupe, to raise money. The event brought in $2,000.

"We haven't been able to meet the need in people's communities," Kasten Bell said.

At stake is the next generation of victims and abusers.

"It's a very critical time in Utah for domestic violence to be addressed," said Amy Jensen, a longtime advocate for domestic abuse prevention and former director of All-R-Kids Visitation Center.

"We have to stop the violence at the level of the family and the level of the child," said Todd Allen, director of research and head of emergency room operations at LDS Hospital.

"If we try to tackle the problem only at LDS Hospital, we will fail. If we try to tackle this only at the YWCA, we will fail. If we try to address it only with the police, we will fail."

First on the scene

Clearly, police and social service agencies are getting slammed.

On a recent winter evening, police respond to a woman whose fiance has beaten her up in front of her three children.

Other calls during that shift demonstrate how police officers spend their time. A man and woman fighting over the car while their son is in the next room. A woman calling to report that her ex-boyfriend is breaking the windows of her apartment.

"If we could figure out domestic violence, it would take away half our workload," said Salt Lake police officer Jennifer Choate.

But day after day, police logs lay out the depth of the problem.

From a Friday afternoon shift:

A 42-year-old man assaults a woman and takes the victim's infant son. He then calls her and threatens to assault her when he returns the baby. The victim calls her brother, who comes over with several friends. The assailant arrives and carries the baby unstrapped in his car seat toward the apartment. He swings the car seat at the group and the baby falls from the car seat. A witness picks up the baby and takes him to his mother.

From a Sunday evening shift report: