Laudable work to round up abusers

WE have written more than once about a facility in Oklahoma City called Palomar, which opened in February 2017 and provides a range of services to victims of domestic violence. Recent work by Palomar is especially noteworthy.

Officials from Palomar joined members of law enforcement last week in announcing that 121 arrests had been made in a sweep of individuals accused of domestic violence in the Oklahoma County area.

“In short,” said Kim Garrett, CEO of Palomar, “our community is leading the way and we’ve stated loudly and clearly that we will not accept domestic violence.”

It’s a message that needs to be shouted from the rooftops, because domestic violence is a big problem in Oklahoma City in particular and Oklahoma in general.

Just last month, a report by the Violence Policy Center, a national nonprofit, ranked Oklahoma No. 11 in the country in the rate of women killed by men. Thirty-one women were killed by men in Oklahoma in single-victim, single-offender incidents in 2016, the latest year for which statistics were available.

Oklahoma’s ranking worsened from a year ago, when the state ranked 15th. Oklahoma had previously spent four years ranked among the 10 worst states.

In Oklahoma City in 2016, more than 35,000 domestic violence-related calls were placed to 911. Think about that statistic for a moment — the city’s 911 dispatchers receive just under 100 such calls every day. That rate helps explain why places such as the YWCA Thelma Gaylord Emergency Shelter, which can house about 120 people, is full most of the time.

Of course, domestic violence impacts not only the spouse or partner, but the children in the home. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 30 percent to 60 percent of domestic abusers also abuse children in the household. Nationally, about 40 percent of child abuse victims report domestic violence in the home. Among other things, kids exposed to this trauma are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, attempt suicide and become sexually active at an early age.

Just last month at a conference in Norman about domestic and sexual violence, an official with the Louisville Metro Police Department described men who choke women as “the most dangerous men on the planet.” Domestic violence counselors here regularly handle cases where choking occurred.

Garrett explained that in May, law enforcement agencies and local victim services providers found a high rate of domestic violence offenders with outstanding warrants. That should come as no surprise — any man who would raise a hand to his wife or partner isn’t likely to give much weight to legal obligations.

Palomar compiled a team that included Department of Human Services workers and local, state and federal law enforcement officers, whose work culminated with last week’s sweep.

Johnny Kuhlman, U.S. marshal for Oklahoma’s Western District, called it a “very, very successful” week but also a sad one. “It’s a reminder that domestic violence is so prevalent in our community and it doesn’t have to be that way,” he said.

Garrett described the effort as a “whole community” approach that’s unprecedented not just locally but nationwide. Congratulations and thanks are due to all those who played a role.