Broken Arrow police see uptick in domestic violence calls

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — The Broken Arrow Police Department says officers are responding to more domestic violence calls.

In 2022 their average monthly domestic violence call rate was 195. In 2023, that rate is 212. They’re unveiling new initiatives to showcase resources in the community.

Officer Kaitlin Anderson sees a lot when she patrols the streets in Broken Arrow.

“We really get to see a variety of calls,” said Anderson. “Domestic violence is a call we go to pretty frequently.”

She said those domestic violence calls range from arguments to visible injuries.

“Ultimately our goal is to ensue the safety of our domestic violence survivors,” said Officer Anderson.

Domestic violence is a problem all of Oklahoma faces, with the state ranking number one in its domestic violence rate and number two in domestic violence homicides.

“We never know what’s going on in people’s homes,” said Officer Anderson.

The Broken Arrow Police Department provided their domestic violence call numbers for the last five years.

“We typically see an uptick in domestic violence calls during the holiday seasons,” said Officer Anderson.

The department partnered with Domestic Violence Intervention Services. In the last two weeks, they’ve wrapped a police cruiser to showcase this community resource.

“Just as a message of our stance as a police department and a law enforcement agency that these aren’t calls that we take lightly,” said Officer Anderson.

In October, they’ll also have a new victim’s advocate from DVIS that responds to domestic violence calls with officers and follows up with the victims.

“It helps them trust us when they know we’re taking it seriously and we do genuinely care about their safety and survival,” said Officer Anderson.

BAPD is hosting a self defense class on October 2nd. It’ll take place at BattleCreek Church from 5-6 p.m. They’re also hosting a community forum on domestic violence in October.

The department is also releasing crime stats monthly to keep the community updated. Their August numbers show 63 domestic violence calls, lower than average, but about 12% of their case load that month.

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