BEAUMONT, Texas — Some of the largest police departments in the country are seeing a spike in domestic violence cases since this coronavirus pandemic began.
Psychologist say during a time of isolation, when stress levels are high, abusers tend to strike the most.
With stay-at-home orders in place all across our region, it was necessary to find out if local law enforcement, such as Beaumont Police, has seen a spike in domestic violence case.
"Numbers of reports are up but nothing that staggering," Beaumont Police Officer Haley Morrow said.
She said their statistics show that there hasn't been a substantial increase, but this issue is always a concern for them especially during a pandemic.
"Not everyone who find themselves in a situation like this to stay at home feels like they're on a vacation," Morrow said.
In Port Arthur, police have been dealing with a larger spike in domestic violence cases in recent weeks.
"I always said that domestic violence is one of those crimes that are very hard to be proactive in other than through education because it's behind close doors," Port Arthur Detective Mike Hebert said.
Studies show that 1 in 3 women are abused at some point in their lives.
Resource groups like Family Service of Southeast Texas are also reporting a spike in cases.
"The calls do go up anytime that there is any kind of extra stress, whether that's just Christmas time or the kids or home or finances are tight or you just lost your job. Those kind of things push people buttons," said Bonnie Spotts of the Family Service of Southeast Texas.
If you are currently dealing with a domestic violence situation, a crisis intervention hotline is in place through Family Service of Southeast Texas. That number is 409-832-7575.
