Overall the Eaton County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to 878 calls for service/events. Our higher call volumes occurred in the following areas: Traffic Stops-242, Suspicious Subject/Situation/Vehicle-46, Traffic Violations-34, Shoplifting Complaints-34, Assist Citizen/Motorist Assists-32, Larcenies-26, Check Well Beings-23, Car/Deer Accidents-22, Alarms-21, Domestic Dispute-20, Traffic Hazards-18, Unwanted Subject-12, Property Damage Hit & Run-12, Property Damage Crashes-12, Civil Complaints-11, Suicidal Threat or Attempt-6.
October is recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The numbers of people affected by this are staggering. So far this year the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office has responded to 587 domestic dispute calls. The total number of responses by all law enforcement agencies within Eaton County to date is 1,194.
Domestic violence knows no bounds – it doesn’t discriminate against race, age, sex, or type of relationship. It doesn’t have to be physical; it could be sexual, economical, or emotional or psychological. The following are some of the most common tactics used by abusers to control their partners but is certainly not a complete list.
Physical Abuse – Being pushed, shoved, kicked, slapped, bitten, strangled, hit or punched; being locked out of your home, denied help when ill, injured or pregnant; had a weapon used against you; by physical force, not being allowed to leave; had objects thrown at you; being abandoned in a dangerous situation.
Sexual Abuse - Forced to have sex or watch sexual acts, forced to perform sexual acts or have sexual acts performed on you, forced to dress more sexually than you wish, forced to have sex after a physical assault, when you are ill or as a condition of the relationship.
Emotional & Psychological Abuse - Threatened harm to you, your family or your pets; beliefs, race, heritage, class, religion, or sexual orientation ridiculed; manipulated with lies and contradictions; being convinced you are to blame for the abuse; stalking.
Economic Abuse - Denied access to bank accounts, credit cards or vehicle; partner controls all the finances; prevented from getting or keeping a job or from going to school; limits your access to health, prescription or dental insurance.
Exceptional local resources are –
SIREN/Eaton Shelter, Inc., P.O. Box 369, Charlotte. Phone: 517-543-0748
Crisis number: 517-543-4915 or 800-899-9997
Website: www.sireneatonshelter.org
SAFE Place, P.O. Box 199, Battle Creek, Phone: 269-965-6093, Fax: 269-966-2503
Crisis number: 269-965-7233 or 888-664-9832
Website: www.safeplaceshelter.org
You can also call 9-1-1, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224.
Yours in Public Safety,
Sheriff Tom Reich