Tulsa Nonprofit Teams Up With TPD To Educate On Family Violence

Tulsa Police took nearly 21,000 domestic violence calls last year.

That's why a Tulsa non-profit, Crosstown Learning Center and Tulsa Police are working together to educate people about the importance of reporting family violence.

Sergeant Clay Asbill says, at the start of any week, he has 90 to 120 domestic cases on his desk just from the weekend.

This is why police teamed up with Crosstown Learning Center to hold a Family Violence question and answer session for people about domestic violence.

"All we know to do is give them as many services as we can,” says Asbill. “That's what we are hoping is to interrupt that on down the road them being domestic homicide victims."

Asbill said they received more than 40,000 domestic violence-related calls in the past two years.

There were 494 strangulation reports in Tulsa in 2017 and 700 in 2018 and, they nearly doubled the number of arrests for those crimes.

"We believe the numbers are high because we educated everybody about it. From our officers to victims, to the general public, so they are reporting it more,” says Asbill.

Debbi Guilfoyle is the executive director of Crosstown Learning Center, an early care learning center.

She says domestic violence can seriously affect a child’s development.

"We are all products of our homes and our families,” says Guilfoyle. “And as responsible adults, it’s our duty to provide the safest and healthiest homes for our children to grow up in."

If you're in a domestic violence emergency, call 911. If you need help or resources to get out of a violent situation, call the DVIS crisis hotline, 918-7-HELP ME.