Domestic Violence: an Underreported Epidemic

Despite possible delusions to the contrary, our community is not immune to domestic violence.

Statistically speaking, Downers Grove is neither notably better nor worse than other similarly sized towns when it comes to such incidents. Family Shelter Service, which assists victims of abuse, calls domestic violence an epidemic—one that affects millions of families, costs billions of dollars  and has tragic consequences for generations to come.

There is no “typical” victim of domestic abuse. It transcends all boundaries including geography, race, ethnicity, religion, age, financial status, educational background, sexual orientation and gender. In a single weekend in April, for example, Downers Grove police charged four women in separate incidents of domestic battery. However, 90 percent of such incidents are perpetrated by men.

Last year, the Downers Grove Police Department received approximately 560 calls for domestic disturbances. “We’re consistent with departments our size,” said Police Chief Robert Porter. “Any time you have a population of 50,000 people, you’ll have incidents of domestic violence. Every community has.”

 Despite the prevalence of domestic abuse, it is conversely amongst the most underreported and least discussed of crimes and, as such, flies under the radar of oblivious area residents, said Downers Grove Police Sergeant James Maly.

Many don't want to get involved

“People are embarrassed because they may feel like a failure or all sorts of other reasons,” he said. “And a lot of people hear a husband and wife fighting and don’t want to get involved.”

Recently, Maly attended a conference on behalf of the DGPD, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Last month, he shared the training with the entire department, focusing on issues relating to domestic violence.

“The training is geared towards our response but also about the circle of violence, how to recognize signs of abuse and resources that are available. It’s multi-faceted training specifically aimed at domestic violence,” Porter said.

While much has remained the same in terms of the nature, prevalence and serious ramifications of domestic violence, the law enforcement response has fortunately improved dramatically from decades past.

“When I started 25 years ago, if there was a domestic violence situation, we required one party to sign a complaint in order to make an arrest,” Porter said. With the victim often reluctant to do so, the crime would go unpunished and the cycle of abuse would more likely continue and worsen.

Arrests are mandatory in incidents of battery

In 1989, DuPage County adopted a mandatory arrest protocol for incidents of battery with probable cause. “It’s one of the few mandatory arrest situations that we have in policing," Maly said. "It takes a lot of the responsibility off of the victim.”

This, in turn, has helped to decrease recidivism. “Arresting the perpetrator is the best way to stop repeat offenses. It gets them into the system," Maly siad. "Way back when I started, we’d tell the guy to leave for the night and cool off. Studies have shown that didn’t prevent the repeat. Arrest is what stops the repeat.” The protocol has an additional important component. Once the offender is released from the DuPage County Jail, he is prohibited from returning home for 72 hours.

Downers Grove police officers always take domestic disturbance calls very seriously. “Any community will say that it’s one of the more dangerous calls and one of the biggest concerns," Porter said.

"Because of the volatility of the situation, the fact that we don’t know what we’re walking into, and the fact that tensions and emotions are running very high, it’s very unpredictable. Many officers across the country are killed responding to domestic violence type calls,” he said. Domestic disturbance calls are manpower intensive because they always require at least a two-officer response.

DGPD is 'very proactive'

Porter said his department is “very proactive” in responding to, handling, tracking and reporting all domestic incidents. Whether or not there’s an injury and/or arrest, police carefully document every call, so every offender is in the department’s system.  

After a domestic incident, the department’s community policing personnel will follow up with the victim to provide resources and instructions on orders of protection, answer questions and confiscate any on-site weapons.

Maly stressed it’s important for incidents to be reported to the police, as domestic violence is not a cycle that usually comes to a halt on its own and, in fact, is likely to worsen over time.

“Domestic violence is really not a one-time thing. It’s a deep rooted series of abusive, controlling behavior,” he said. The offender often will try to get more and more power and “up his tactics,” especially if the victim starts resisting. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that 70 percent to 80 percent of all domestic homicides occur when the man has physically abused the woman on prior occasions.

A dangerous misconception about domestic violence is that the children in the household are unaware. “They know,” Maly said. Statistics show that 80 percent to 90 percent of children in affected homes are aware of the situation. 

Children also suffer

Also of concern are statistics indicating that men who batter their wives are more likely to assault their children. Children also suffer developmentally in violent homes, and adolescents and young adults are at risk for recreating abusive relationships, which they grow up perceiving as normal. The majority of adult violent prisoners in the U.S. have witnessed domestic violence during their childhood.

Maly dismissed the idea that domestic violence is caused by stress or hard times, explaining that the dynamics are much more complex. Stress can certainly exacerbate violence tendencies. “But there’s an underlying problem of controlling abusive behavior. The economy doesn’t make someone a domineering abusive person. It’s already there,” he said.

Downers Grove police work closely with community partners on matters relating to domestic abuse. Family Shelter Service in Wheaton is notified of incidents and will assist with emergency shelter, orders of protection and advocacy.

One of their most critical functions is to help a woman leave safely, Maly said. “Leaving is the most dangerous time for a woman. Think about the fact that the offender is into power and control. The worst thing you can do is take the person he’s controlling away. The worst time for a woman, the time she’s most likely to get hurt, is when she leaves. Family Shelter helps with safety planning.”