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RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina's attorney general said Thursday that domestic violence killed 131 people in the state last year, and he's urging victims to get court-ordered protection against their abusers.

Calling it a problem that has been "swept under the rug" over the years, protective orders could help lower the statistics, said Attorney General Roy Cooper. He said only eight people killed in 2008 had taken out protective orders, and only three were current when the victim died.

Cooper, who said the numbers confirm that domestic violence "happens all over the state," said he wants to create programs that would notify victims when their abuser is served with an order and require supervised probation for some offenders.

But he said the greatest challenge is changing victims' minds about handling domestic violence as a private issue. He encouraged them to seek help.

"Domestic violence starts with a shove or a push," he said. "It's a big step to decide to leave a domestic situation."

Preliminary data shows the homicides were committed by 103 male offenders and 25 female offenders, some of whom had multiple victims. Of those killed, 99 were female and 32 were male. Cooper said the numbers could increase because a few police agencies haven't submitted their reports.

Mecklenburg County had the highest number of deaths at 14, while Forsyth and Guilford counties each had seven deaths. Still, Cooper said he was surprised that many rural counties reported as many as three deaths.

"It's good data for us to know," he said. "Domestic violence occurs too frequently in rural areas."

With state unemployment reaching levels not seen since the recession of the mid-1980s, Cooper also warned about a link between domestic violence and strained family finances.

"Economics and finances ... that can be the source of a lot of emotional turmoil," he said.

The statistics were collected after a state law approved in 2007 required all counties to report domestic violence-related deaths to the State Bureau of Investigation. Though Cooper said data had been collected through different organizations over the years, the new statistics provide the first comprehensive assessment of such deaths in North Carolina.

Cooper estimated about a quarter of homicides in North Carolina are related to domestic violence, based on an average of 550 homicides a year over the last decade. In 2007, the most recent data available, 592 homicides were reported.

Among possible statewide programs, Cooper said he wanted to create a notification system that would let potential victims know when a protective order has been served on their abusers, since abusers are often so angered by such action they attack the victim. He didn't provide a timeline as to when such a program could begin, but he applauded a pilot program in Pitt County.

"People who are concerned about this should know when the papers are served so that they can take extra safety precautions," he said.

Cooper also recommended supervised probation for certain offenders, calling it something that "could provide a check on abusers and potentially save lives."

Cooper highlighted the Address Confidentiality Program that allows victims to hide their addresses in public records, instead listing their address as the Department of Justice. Started in 2003, more than 570 people are currently enrolled.

"We owe it to those killed by domestic violence to look for ways to stop these crimes from happening," Cooper said.

Rita Anita Linger, executive director of the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said she was pleased the report was so comprehensive.

She said although her coalition had compiled domestic violence data since 2002, residents now have a "more accurate and complete" assessment of domestic violence crime in the state "so that the public will understand the true impact of this deadly crime."