Domestic abuse can affect people of any age, background, or community. Hastings Deputy Chief Bryan
Schowalter shared with KDWA that it’s also something officers often encounter.
“There’s truly no community that is not affected in some way, shape, or form by domestic abuse. You know, domestic violence affects all walks of life and all demographics. It’s not something that is sporadic, and it’s not something that’s limited to a single community or single group of individuals, so it is fairly common.”
Schowalter says the Hastings Police Department investigates reports of domestic violence and works with community organizations to connect victims with help.
Among those resources are 360 Communities and Day One, which can provide advocates, crisis assistance, housing help, and support through the court process.
“They can assign an advocate to you and help you walk through either reporting the crime to police, or if it goes beyond that to where criminal charges are involved, they can assign an advocate to you as well to help you through court proceedings. They can help you with finding housing and just some of the little things that you don’t think of when you’re reporting a domestic situation.”
Schowalter says anyone who needs a police response should call 911. He says officers will investigate the situation and explain what happens next.
“Any time you need a police response, whether it be a phone call or in person, simply call 911. So, for someone who wants to reach out to Hastings PD or any police department, just simply call 911. As far as what to expect, we take domestic abuse very seriously, so we will immediately send an officer, or if the individual is simply asking for a callback, you will have an officer return your phone call.”
For people who aren’t ready to contact police, Schowalter says reaching out to someone they trust can be an
important first step.
“You have to take that initial step forward, and those are difficult. Those are hard decisions to make. But we all have somebody that we trust and somebody that we rely upon. And if you’re hesitant to call the police first, call that trusted person in your life, and they’re going to be the ones who will be by your side as you move forward through this.”
Schowalter also urges friends and family members to watch for signs that someone they know may be experiencing abuse—and to offer support without judgment.
“Every now and then, you might have that friend who shows up who’s quiet or has an extra bruise or kind of is a little guarded when they talk about their relationship or how things are going. Those are the things that I ask the listeners to pay a little extra attention to and be supportive.”
He points out simply letting someone know you’re there for them can help open the door to getting assistance.
“If you have those suspicions about a friend or family member who may be in an abusive relationship, the biggest piece of advice I can give is be there for them because they don’t know when to come forward and oftentimes they don’t know how to come forward. So be that resource to push them in the right direction to either advocacy or the police department.”
More information on domestic abuse resources can be found in this news report at KDWA.com.