{"id":64997,"date":"2020-04-18T16:03:09","date_gmt":"2020-04-18T22:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/amid-covid-19-pandemic-is-domestic-violence-on-the-rise\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:41:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T10:41:50","slug":"amid-covid-19-pandemic-is-domestic-violence-on-the-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/amid-covid-19-pandemic-is-domestic-violence-on-the-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid COVID-19 pandemic, is domestic violence on the rise?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"San
San Juan County Sheriff\u2019s Office reports the number of domestic violence case has been comparable with those in previous years.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

FARMINGTON \u2013 During the heightened anxiety of the coronavirus pandemic, what happens if one\u2019s home has never been a safe place?<\/p>\n

Advocates worry survivors and possible victims of domestic violence face increased risk under stay-at-home orders.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor victims, home is often not safe, and may never have been,\u201d said Pam Wiseman, executive director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence. \u201cThe fact that people are closed up, financial issues, the uncertainty, the anxiety \u2013 all of that is a toxic stew that could potentially make things worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

The number of calls to the San Juan County Sheriff\u2019s Office has been consistent with previous years\u2019 rates, said spokeswoman Jayme Harcrow.<\/p>\n

From March 12 \u2013 the first physical-distancing announcement from the governor \u2013 to April 12, the Sheriff\u2019s Office responded to 125 domestic violence calls. During the comparable period in 2019, the office responded to 89 domestic violence calls, Harcrow said. It responded to 119 calls in 2018 and 123 in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn reality, the outlier would be more like 2019, as our related calls are staying consistent with previous years\u2019 data,\u201d Harcrow said.<\/p>\n

Wiseman said the number of calls can vary across the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some places, it seems like there has been an increase, in others less so,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She pointed to Albuquerque in Bernalillo County, which has seen a 78% increase in domestic violence felony charges, according to its District Attorney\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople aren\u2019t calling, aren\u2019t able to call or aren\u2019t sure how they\u2019re able to get out of the house,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s keeping the numbers a bit lower than what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Farmington Police Department reported domestic violence calls increased by 44% between February and March, spokeswoman Nicole Brown said. But while calls to officers have increased, the number of filed crime reports has been stable.<\/p>\n

In February, the department received 176 domestic violence calls, compared with 253 calls in March. But of those calls, only 58 case reports were filed in February, and 51 in March, Brown said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople might be calling more for reporting an argument, but there\u2019s actually not more violence,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThey\u2019re at home together more, so they\u2019re getting into more arguments.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said April is on track to be similar. To date, the department is on track for 63 case reports in April. From April 1 to April 10, it received 85 calls, and if that rate continues, the department expects 255 calls by the end of April.<\/p>\n

Victims may use 911 and a free texting service, and Brown said the department is trying to let them know the Sheriff\u2019s Office can help connect them to the Navajo United Methodist Center and Family Crisis Center and Shelter.<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic also has strained domestic violence shelters and support programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re on the phone with funders all the time,\u201d Wiseman said.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, local residents can help. Support programs have been running low on food and cleaning supplies, diapers, baby formula and milk, Wiseman said, adding that monetary donations are helpful, too.<\/p>\n

Wiseman said shelters throughout the state are trying to balance their services while keeping staff, clients and the community safe.<\/p>\n

Victims face choosing to stay at home or take shelter in an unfamiliar setting.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t want to go to a shelter because they\u2019re afraid of getting the virus or having their kids get it,\u201d Wiseman said.<\/p>\n

And that might have contributed to increased use of phone and video services.<\/p>\n

\u201cShelters are getting a lot of calls for counseling and their services by phone and computer,\u201d she said. \u201cI think people are calling that haven\u2019t called before.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added those services likely will remain open after the pandemic passes.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur programs are open,\u201d she said. \u201cAll of the services are being provided right now, but they just might be provided differently than before.\u201dIf you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call (800) 799-SAFE (7233). You can also call Farmington\u2019s 24-hour crisis hotline at (888) 440-9192. <\/em><\/p>\n

lweber@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

need support can still access services<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[133,168,28,1901,138,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-64997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-courts","tag-crime","tag-headlines","tag-la-plata-county-sheriff","tag-new-mexico","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64997"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89196,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64997\/revisions\/89196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64997"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=64997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}