Throughout the month of September, the Benton Police Department staff will educate, discuss and bring awareness of the unfortunate truth about domestic violence. The department staff and officers will provide information via various social media sites, press releases, fliers and pamphlets providing outreach resources for domestic violence/abused victims, and other means available to reach the public.
Between Jan. 1 and Aug.22, Benton Police Officers have responded to 94 domestic related disturbance calls with 119 suspects arrested for either domestic battery or assault on a family member. Eleven of those arrested were juveniles. Ten cases of sexual assault or rape was also reported between Jan. 1 and Aug. 22.
The BNPD also reminds citizens that domestic violence is not just physical harm. It can be emotional abuse, sexual abuse, manipulation, financial control, stalking and threatening. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every minute in the U.S. an average of 20 people are physically abused by a partner. Every 9 seconds, a woman is assaulted or beaten in the United States of America.
Domestic violence affects people of all age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and economic status. Statistics show that children in homes where domestic violence occurs are 6 times more likely to commit suicide and 50% more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Those children are also 74% more likely to commit a violent crime against someone else. Of the 1-in-15 children exposed to domestic violence, 90 percent report being an eyewitness to abuse.
An estimated 12 million people are victims of stalking, rape, and/or physical violence by an intimate partner each year and 45% of female rape victims were raped by an intimate partner. Domestic violence has accounted for 20 percent of all violent crimes reported in the U.S. between 2003 and 2012, and 11,766 U.S. women were killed by their male partners during the same time period.
If you or a loved one is in an abusive relationship, call and get help. Don’t be afraid to call the Benton Police Department or the Saline County Safe Haven at 501-315-SAFE (7233). You can also contact the Benton Police Department anonymously at 501-315-TIPS or text to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword BNPD, or via the official Benton Police Department app found on iTunes and Google Play.
Follow BNPD on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Benton-Police-Department/221829174560849
