October is Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention month. Domestic violence is an issue that can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, gender identity, economic status or sexual orientation. It affects people from all walks of life and can manifest in a variety of different ways.

Domestic violence is a significant problem facing all communities. Consider for a moment that in Marshalltown the police department investigated 404 domestic violence related calls for service and made 124 domestic violence arrests in 2020. In 2021, the police department investigated 322 domestic violence related calls for service and made 106 arrests. These known numbers are staggering enough. Now consider that some studies have shown only 25 percent of domestic violence related crimes are reported to the police. If this report rate holds true in Marshalltown, that would mean there were more than 1,200 domestic violence related incidents that went unreported during calendar year 2020.

These criminal incidents significantly affect police department resources and have long-term effects upon countless families and children in our community. National studies tell us that nearly one in four women and one in seven men in the United States have suffered severe physical violence by an intimate partner. Intimate partner violence affects more than 12 million people each year in the United States.

The Marshalltown Police Department takes this problem seriously and is committed to working with the community to combat the problems of abuse and violence. We need your help. As a community we need to stand together to stop violence. We must educate our children to treat all people with dignity and respect. We must stop avoiding the problems of family violence and stop blaming the victims as somehow being the cause of domestic abuse. This is a community problem that cannot be tolerated. By working together as one community, we can have a positive impact on this social problem.

If you need help getting out of an abusive situation or you know someone who needs help, you can contact the telephone numbers below for help and information.

Domestic Violence — NOT IN OUR TOWN and NOT ON OUR WATCH

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Mike Tupper is the chief of the

Marshalltown Police Department.