Brighter enforcement: domestic abuse outreach center teams up with police

By Brooke Greene / Staff Writer

With the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic, BrightHouse, a non-profit domestic abuse and sexual-assault help center, has seen more and more fall victim in their domestic relationships.

The forced quarantines and isolating society has made it easier for abusers to get away with violent acts, as their partners are home with them far more often.

For example, strangulations are not as easy to see as some may think, and often, the victim can hide the evidence left from the attack if they do not wish to leave the relationship. In the case of strangulation, it does not take much pressure to cut off the oxygen flow to the brain which would then cause the victim to be rendered unconscious. This can result in serious injuries such as brain damage.

To fight this spike in domestic violence, BrightHouse is teaming up with the Hutchinson Police Department to help better educate cops on identifying the signs of strangulations and to know how to help those who have been domestically abused.

“Working with the police makes so much sense,” said Donna Davis, Executive Director. “We both want the same thing, to see the abusers be held accountable for their actions. We love working with our officers.”

Every Monday for six weeks, Sept. 28 being the first, BrightHouse is holding sessions that are 90 minutes long to train with Hutchinson’s law enforcement officers.

Davis said some of the key points that BrightHouse is trying to make during these sessions, “The victim might talk as if they are lying, they may laugh, they may not make eye contact, the victim’s brain gets flooded with chemicals that are so harsh it is difficult to answer interview questions from officers due to not being able to remember what happened. The victim’s brain is not straight due to oxygen lost. It is strangulated.”

BrightHouse is constantly making efforts to assist those put in these dangerous situations.

Hutchinson Community College has welcomed BrightHouse agents to talk in classes through the years to help educate students on what domestic violence entails and to target red flags in relationships.

BrightHouse can be found at 125 W 2^nd Ave, Ste. B. in Hutchinson, the 24-Hour Crisis Line is (620)663-2522, or there is more information available on their website, brighthouseks.org, for those who need their assistance in escaping dangerous situations, along with information on what to do to get to safety, or come to reasonable terms with your partner.

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