The testimony heard by the Ulster County Legislature Tuesday night should not be allowed to fade with the adjournment of a meeting.

For more than an hour, more than two dozen women described violence at the hands of intimate partners. They spoke of being threatened with knives, sexually trafficked by husbands, seriously injured and living with the fear that their abusers would ultimately kill them.

Just as troubling were their descriptions of what they characterized as a second failure — a system that did not adequately protect them when they sought help.

Those allegations deserve to be taken seriously.

Allison Cramer, whose mother, Melinda Brugger of Plattekill, was killed Aug. 21 by her husband in what police called an apparent murder-suicide, put the responsibility in stark terms.

“Not one person besides Jim Brugger is responsible for my mother’s death, but so many people, collectively, could have been responsible for her living,” Cramer told legislators.

That should challenge every institution that comes into contact with victims of domestic violence.

The question is not simply whether an individual police officer, judge, prosecutor, social worker or other public employee did everything correctly in a particular case. It is whether the system as a whole recognizes the danger these victims face and responds accordingly.

The Legislature has already taken a step in that direction. In August, it approved a resolution calling for an enhanced lethality assessment program that would allow emergency personnel responding to domestic violence calls to assess the risk of serious injury or death and immediately connect victims with local support services.

But more needs to be done.

The women who addressed the Legislature called for better police training, improved coordination of services through the county Department of Social Services, a permanent domestic violence advisory committee and protocols based on programs that have worked elsewhere.

Those proposals deserve serious consideration.

So do the concerns raised about how domestic violence cases are handled. Several women described inadequate responses when they sought police protection or reported violations of orders of protection. Others criticized a system that can leave victims feeling that intimate-partner violence is treated differently from other forms of violence.

There is another important lesson: leaving an abusive relationship can be an especially dangerous time. Jessica Jones of the Ulster County Crime Victims Assistance Program has said that 75% of domestic violence homicides occur when the victim is attempting to leave the abuser.

A person who summons the courage to seek help should not have to navigate a maze of disconnected agencies while trying to determine whether she and her children are safe.

Government cannot eliminate domestic violence. It can make sure victims have access to trained responders, coordinated services, emergency assistance and a justice system that takes allegations seriously while protecting everyone’s rights.

The community has a role, too. Domestic violence cannot be dismissed as a private matter. Nor should someone’s reputation or standing in the community become more important than the safety of a person reporting abuse.

Melinda Brugger’s death is a painful reminder. Her life should not be defined solely by how it ended. She was a mother, grandmother, emergency-management professional, volunteer first responder and member of the community. Friends have said tributes to her should celebrate her life while reminding others that domestic violence must never be ignored.

The women who addressed the Legislature made their message clear: Listen to victims. Examine the system. Identify what is failing. Learn from successful programs elsewhere. Then make the changes necessary to give people experiencing domestic violence a better chance of surviving it.

Awareness is important. But awareness alone is not enough.

The true measure of a community’s commitment to protecting victims is what happens after the lights go out.