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No surge in Gregg domestic violence

Longview News-Journal - 11/19/2017

Gregg County law enforcement agencies saw little change in the number of domestic and family violence cases reported in 2016 compared with 2011.

Statewide, figures from the Texas Department of Public Safety show more than 214,000 Texans were injured or died in 2016 at the hands of a family member - an increase from about 193,000 people in 2011.

Gregg County law enforcement agencies saw about an 8 percent increase in reported instances of family violence in the same five-year period, from 1,102 cases in 2011 to 1,194 in 2016.

But there also were fewer cases in 2016 than in each of the two years before.

For example, in 2015, 1,331 cases were reported to the Longview, Kilgore, White Oak and Gladewater police departments and Gregg County Sheriff's Office, according to Texas DPS statistics.

And police might continue to see growing reports of family violence. In Houston, police report they received more than 24,000 domestic violence cases in the first 10 months of this year. That's a 45 percent increase over a similar period in 2013, the Houston Chronicle reported.

"We continue to underestimate the reach and devastation of domestic violence," said Gloria Aguilera Terry, chief executive of the Texas Council on Family Violence.

Close to home

Shannon Trest, executive director of the Women's Center of East Texas, a women's shelter, advocacy group and resource center, said a smaller increase in numbers doesn't necessarily reflect what is actually going on in the community.

But the fact that many of the victims who come to the shelter haven't reported their abusers shows law enforcement statistics aren't capturing the full scope of the problem, she said.

Trest said at least half of the women the center works with do not initially want to report their abuser because of their immigration status, fears of losing their children or worse.

"They've been told all this time that if they report anything, they'll kill them," she said. "It's really just pure and simple fear (preventing people from coming forward.)"

Trest said she's noticed a trend of increasingly violent and manipulative ways that perpetrators have abused their victims, rather than a sharp change in the number of incidents. She said more women have been killed by their partners in recent years, and spouses have "gotten crafty" trying to find their families or prevent them from going to police.

"It seems like, for years, the perpetrator would stop at the spouse, but now they're going after the kids at an alarming rate," Trest said. "Everything has become more violent, more controlling, and it seems to involve more people."

It takes women an average of seven to nine tries before they successfully leave an abusive partner, Trest said, and for many, filing for divorce can be dangerous.

"Do we have women who come into shelter, leave, come into shelter, and leave? Absolutely," Trest said. "And they are welcome every single time, because each time they leave and come back, they get stronger."

Domestic abuse and mass shootings

The gunman in the recent church shooting in Sutherland Springs had a history of domestic violence. Investigators found Devin Patrick Kelley had been given a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force after pleading guilty to assaulting his first wife and stepson.

Victim advocates said the shooting is an example of how domestic violence often spill out into public spaces. More than half the country's mass shootings between 2009 and 2016, in which at least four people were killed were related to domestic or family violence, according to a study by Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit group that focuses on firearm regulation.

"Up until now, the media would lose interest in a shooting once they found out it was a domestic violence incident and not a 'real' crime," said Amanda Johnson, with the Dallas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. "Sutherland Springs is a game changer."

Making a change

Longview police spokesman Lt. Shane McCarter said domestic violence cases present a challenge for law enforcement because they normally happen inside a private residence, where police can't monitor what happens or step in to prevent an incident.

"It can become one of the most dangerous situations for law enforcement, because when we go in, it isn't uncommon for the person we are trying to protect to become upset with us or for the other person to become violent toward us," McCarter said.

He said it isn't unlikely for someone to be a repeat offender when it comes to family violence and domestic abuse, but victims also don't often call the police the first time an offender is abusive.

"It may be the first time that it's reported (to LPD), but it's not uncommon that that's not the first time that victim has been assaulted," McCarter said. "The family members, especially dealing with couples, they know this isn't normal behavior, but what they do need to recognize is as soon as it happens, they need to contact us so that we can become involved and help prevent future occurrences."

In addition to calling the police, Trest said women in any kind of violent or abusive situation can call the Women's Center's 24-hour hotline at 1 (800) 441-5555, find information and safety at the center's emergency shelter or go to its offices for legal support and assistance.

"We help whatever woman figures out her home is no longer safe," Trest said. "We're going to do everything humanly possible to keep them safe. If they're in our shelter, that's a good start."

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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