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It is part of the national Silent Witness Initiative program that began in 1990 in Minnesota to make a visual impact, support victims and educate the public about domestic violence. Police said the exhibit can provide hope and helpful resources are available.

“You are not alone, there is hope that you can leave that situation, there are resources out there,” Beaumont Police Department Spokesperson Haley Morrow said. “We will continuously help people connect with those resources and at some point, they are hopefully going get to the point where they want to break the cycle and get out of that situation because it can be deadly situation, not just for them as an adult, but also their children involved.

“ …There can be murder suicide cases, multiple murders with not only the intimate partner but their child,” she continued. “That is just the most tragic situation that can happen. Our goal is to educate people, to speak out against it, to raise awareness and then to give hope to the victims.”

Speak Up

The police department has many cases where people witness an altercation or assault involving family violence. But the witnesses do not want to get involved in the “hush-hush” crime, Morrow said.

“They don’t call the police, they don’t make a report because they are too worried about getting involved in what they consider to be a private matter,” Morrow said. “We are trying to do as much as we can to raise awareness for that to make sure that people understand that you can speak up, you can speak out, it is your duty if you witness somebody who is being assaulted by, it doesn’t really matter who it is, family or not.”

In June, a 65 year old Beaumont man was arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping after he allegedly forced a woman and her two children out of a food court at knife point at Parkdale Mall. There were several witnesses who apparently saw the act, but Morrow compared the incident to the “Bystander Effect.”

“None of them called police except for one man,” Morrow said. “When our officers got there and went in to talk to these witnesses, one of the questions they asked was, ‘why didn’t you call police?’ They said, ‘well, we thought it was her husband.’ Well, it wasn’t her husband. It was a complete stranger.”

Fortunately, police were able to locate the woman and her children in the parking lot within two minutes of the good samaritan’s phone call to police.

Those who suspect domestic violence or who need assistance are also encouraged to call the police department.

Have Hope

A physical assault can lead to more violent situations. Last year, seven out of the 22 homicide cases in the city of Beaumont were domestic or family violence related, Morrow said.

“It definitely is something that can be a life-threatening situation,” she added.

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The Family Violence unit’s current cases includes various situations from dating relationships to family conflicts between siblings. Most of the cases involve intimate partner relationships.

“The most dangerous time for a victim of domestic violence is when they choose to leave, they have made that decision, and they are in that process,” Morrow said. “We try to connect them resources to assist with that financially.”

Among the resources include Family Services of Southeast Texas, which serves as the community’s hub for resources, and the Women and Children’s Shelter, are both located at 3550 Fannin Street. Police can also connect victims to counseling.

“A lot of times abusers don’t allow their victims to have any sense of independence,” Morrow said. “(Victims) typically don’t work because (abusers) don’t want victims to believe that they can function without them.”

Domestic violence victims often return to abusers and sometimes do not want to cooperate with officials, which can often make these types of cases difficult for police to investigate.

In the state of Texas, police are allowed to file charges without victim cooperation. However, that creates a challenge for both law enforcement and state prosecutors, including with consideration to there being cases with victims who are cooperating with the officials.

“They will sometimes even get upset with us for pursuing it, it kind of puts it in a more difficult position for us to continue investigating,” Morrow said. “Statistically speaking, it is not something that is going to end. It is up to the victim to break the cycle. That is one of the reasons that we recommend all of the resources that are available in the city.”

The family violence detectives at the Beaumont Police Department knows victims on a first name basis because of how often and common it is for victims who are in and out of their unit’s offices as part of the cycle.

Police offer encouragement and want the community and victims alike to know that these incidents can be reported to the police department and can be done anonymously.

Another tool available is Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas, which has multiple platforms that can be utilized in various ways to combat and report domestic violence.

Some of the ways to help is by submitting a tip such as the address of where someone is located by calling, visiting the website, or through the phone application. Photographs, screenshots and videos can also be submitted through the phone application.

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Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas Administrator and Campus Coordinator Jeremy Raley said some of the main reasons that people do not leave a relationship or situation where there is domestic violence is because they may be afraid of being hunted down and killed, do not know how they will survive or what they will do financially, or what would happen to their children.

“If it goes through us, there is anonymity,” Raley said. “If they tell their friends about it, their friends don’t have to worry about being retaliated against because their friends can report it.”

While domestic violence is a common crime, Raley said it is not a common tip reported to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas. Domestic violence, similar to baiting, can also sometimes lead to human trafficking, he said.

“Sometimes people don’t consider that as a crime even though it is,” Raley said.

Raley encouraged anyone who may be in danger to not let the fear of the unfamiliar stop them from reporting or getting help to break the cycle.

“You are not alone,” he said. “You are putting yourself in a dark spot because you won’t get out of it.”

If you or anyone you know is in danger of domestic abuse, contact the Beaumont Police Department’s Family Violence Unit at (409)832-7190, Family Services of Southeast Texas (409)833-2668, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline can also be reached by texting “START” to 88788. Interpretation services are available in various languages, including Spanish. Text 911 has also been established for anyone who is unable to make a call.

Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas can be contacted by calling (409)833-8477, online at 833TIPS.com or by submitting a tip to the P3 TIPS app with a smartphone or tablet.

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

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