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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Even though it is coming to an end, that does not mean awareness of domestic violence should come to an end. In Marshalltown, domestic violence is a common and daily occurrence.

Many times, the Marshalltown Police Department is the first to respond to domestic violence. The crime is common in Marshalltown, as it is everywhere else, said Police Chief Mike Tupper.

“Domestic violence is an issue that affects all demographics,” he said. “I have been a police officer for 31 years, and it is one of the biggest challenges I have had to face during my career.”

Iowa Legal Aid (ILA) Attorney Morgan Fritz said her office gets a lot of domestic violence calls from Marshall County residents.

“Domestic violence is in the top two issues of calls we get from Marshall County,” she said. “Housing and eviction is the first. Domestic violence is the next biggest issue.”

Sue Tufte, the ACCESS domestic violence advocate for Marshall and Tama counties, said on average she responds to six Marshalltown calls each week. She has seen a gradual increase through the years, but Tufte thinks that might be because more people are aware of ACCESS.

“More people are reaching out, know somebody here can help,” Tufte said. “They are more comfortable getting a hold of us.”

In the 12 years Tupper has been with the MPD, the overall number of domestic violence has not really changed.

“My concern is that it is an underreported crime,” Tupper said. “There are a significant amount of cases we do not know about. There are a lot of people who need help.”

If there was an answer as to why domestic violence is such a problem, there would also be a solution, Tupper said. Like Tupper, Fritz would love to answer why domestic violence is so prevalent. She believes a lot of the cases have to do with substance abuse and alcohol.

“It is hard to break that cycle,” she said. “Clients will file multiple protective orders, but then will take their partner back and the cycle continues. It can take time for a client to get away from the abuser.”

Dangerous time

Unfortunately, Tupper has investigated many violent assaults. Some have led to the death of the victims. Usually, the deaths occurred when the victims were able to leave the relationships.

“That is the most dangerous time for people in abusive relationships,” Tupper said. “I have had to investigate the aftermath of people leaving, and it is devastating.”

While Tufte agrees with Fritz that substances can play a role, abuse is about power and control.

“When that power and control starts to slip away, the abuse escalates,” she said. “They will do anything to feel power over that person, to feel that control. I have see a lot of people who have left, and the next thing you know, there’s a murder-suicide. That is the most fatal time to leave.”

Tufte said she has received calls from people who have been strangled and have had firearms pulled on them.

“Those situations are becoming more escalated,” she said.

Tufte said some people might not realize they are in abusive relationships if they do not have black eyes or getting pushed down stairs.

“They fail to realize the emotional, verbal and mental abuse,” she said.

Many people do not understand why victims — including women and men — do not leave the relationship, Tupper said.

“It is hard for people to understand why someone is not leaving a person who is hurting them,” he said. “Sometimes they depend on their partner for financial assistance, with kids, housing. There are a lot of reasons why they don’t leave.”

Tufte has seen many victims believe their abusers that they are worthless. That is a big reason why they stay. She said the victims do not think they are worthy of love from anyone else.

Tupper urged people caught in domestic violence situations to let someone know what is happening.

“It can be hard to talk about these issues, because a lot of people say it is a family problem,” he said. “Reach out and tell somebody. Oftentimes family members, friends and neighbors are not aware of the problem. They can step up and help in those situations. We can’t arrest the way out of the cycles of violence. People need help out of these relationships. The police department has only so many options when responding to domestic violence.”

Organizations

Tupper said there are good organizations in Marshalltown and Marshall County which help victims, such as the Marshall County Attorney, ACCESS, LUNA (Latinas Unidas Por Un Nuevo Amenecer) and MPACT (the Marshalltown Police and Community Team).

Fritz is trying to get the word out on how ILA can help, because despite the increase of cases, the attorneys in the Cedar Rapids office have not worked a lot of recent domestic violence.

“Maybe it’s because we don’t have a location in Marshalltown, people don’t see us there,” Fritz said. “They might not be aware we can come there and represent them.”

ILA representatives appear at MICA once per month for outreach, and victims can go there to talk to an attorney. Victims can also call ILA or fill out the online application. Fritz said as long as certain criteria is met, they should be able to get representation. The biggest criteria is income restrictions. Iowa Legal Aid only represents low-income residents.

“People can get an attorney within a few days,” Fritz said.

She added ILA does not help victims obtain protection orders. That is typically up to the victim or a domestic violence advocate, such as someone from ACCESS. Fritz said most orders last for three years, and will protect from physical interactions, phone calls and can even address custody of children and family pets. However, a protective order does not mean the abuser will honor it. Fritz said violations happen frequently, and the abusers face jail time as a result.

Tupper said the frequency of protection order violations is something his department deals with on a daily basis. As a result, people can ask if an order even has a point.

“It offers victims some options to ensure their safety,” Tupper said. “When an order is violated, we are required to investigate and enforce it. We arrest the person. It is important for victims to have that order in place. It establishes safety and can keep the problem from escalating.”

Tufte wants victims to know ACCESS is there to help, and urges them to reach out.

“Never feel like you’re alone,” she said. “There are other people going through it, and places like ACCESS are here to help you through the process. We are more than willing to help. Reach out. We’ll be there.”

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELP:

Marshalltown Police Department:

Phone number: 641-754-5730

Access:

Phone number: 855-983-4641

Website: assaultcarecenter.org

Iowa Legal Aid:

Phone number: 800-532-1275

Website: iowalegalaid.org

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.