It happens daily in Morgan Hill, but during the holiday season,
several factors combine to result in an increase in calls for
police to intervene in domestic disputes.
It happens daily in Morgan Hill, but during the holiday season, several factors combine to result in an increase in calls for police to intervene in domestic disputes.
According to the Morgan Hill Police Department, during what is considered the holiday period from the second week in November until the end of the first week in January, the average number of calls is approximately 6,800. For a similar amount of time during another part of the year, the average is 6,500, so the department experiences an increase of approximately 4.5 percent during the holiday season.
“Many of these calls are related to a domestic violence issue,” Lt. Joe Sampson said Thursday. “We take about 300 calls for service related to domestic violence, and from those 300, between 80 and 100, or roughly 32 percent, are alcohol related. During the rest of the year, approximately 26 percent have alcohol involved.”
Sampson said there are several factors he sees that lead to the increase around the holidays.
“This is a time of year when emotions run high,” he said. “People remember lost loved ones or traumatic incidents in their lives. Family members who may have a history of problems may be thrown together at family gatherings, causing stress for everyone concerned. Because of that emotion, things sometimes get out of hand.”
In order to try to prevent a holiday occasion turning ugly, Sampson said, there are several things people can do.
“First of all, the primary thing, is to set out to drink in moderation,” he said. “Recognize that alcohol can escalate the problem. Another thing we recommend, if people find they are going through emotional upsurges at this time of year, is to talk it out with friends and family or seek assistance. Community Solutions has a crisis hotline, 683-4118, and the Gilroy Family Resource center, 846-5000, can provide referrals for counseling.”
Getting out of the situation if possible is the best advice, Sampson said.
“The best thing we’ve found that works when situations heat up, whether it’s with a spouse or a brother, or cousin or any other family member, is to take an opportunity to cool off,” he said.
But if the person has been drinking, Sampson emphasized, they should not attempt to drive themselves, but take a walk or call someone else to drive them.
Perla Flores, assistant manager safety and support services for Community Solutions, said victims of domestic violence “definitely need to look for help.”
“They should not feel compelled to stay in an abusive relationship because of the children,” she said. “The children may end up more emotionally damaged, and maybe victims of abuse themselves, if they stay.”
Many times the victims are unwilling to disrupt their children’s’ lives more than necessary, particularly during the holiday season, Flores said. The biggest jump in numbers of women and children staying at the shelter actually occurs during the summer months, when the children are out of school, she said.
“We really see a lower rate this time of year at the shelter because a lot of times it is very difficult to take kids during the holidays,” said Flores. “It can be very emotionally traumatic for them and therefore for the mother.”
What does increase at holiday time, said Flores, is the need for donations to provide those that have left abusive relationships with toys and clothing for their children and perhaps food for a holiday feast.
“The need for aftercare services doubles during the holiday season,” she said. “We have so many people who have left the shelter calling to see if we can help them provide things for them during this time.”
Flores said Community Solutions welcomes donations as well as volunteers. Anyone who wants to make a donation or volunteer can call the Gilroy office, 847-2067, for information.
“Particularly this time of year, but we always can use donations and volunteers,” she said. “Our volunteers are really the backbone, the backbone of any non-profit program who’s financial and staffing resources are limited … Our volunteers will take women and children who are in the shelter to Christmas in the Park, for example, or make sure that they all are on a list to receive a holiday basket. Amy Molica is our volunteer coordinator.”
Flores said she would advise women in a potentially violent situation to keep personal belongings, like driver’s license, important phone numbers and set of clothing for themselves and the children in a safe place in case they do need to leave in a hurry.
“A lot of times, women who are in violent relationships learn to recognize signals that a violent episode is coming,” she said. “So we tell them, when they see the signals, stay out of places like the kitchen, the bathroom, the garage where there may be sharp objects. There is no one approach to fit every woman’s situation.”
