Law Enforcement In Green Country Raise Awareness On Strangulation During Domestic Violence Cases

Green Country law enforcement agencies are stressing the importance of strangulation during domestic violence.

"Statistically if you are being strangled, you are very close to the point where there's possibly going to be a domestic homicide," said Broken Arrow Police Chief Brandon Berryhill.

Oklahoma ranks second in the nation for women being killed by men and second for domestic violence.

Police said people who strangle a partner are much more likely to kill them.

Broken Arrow Police and other agencies said the Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS) have made a public service announcement about the dangers of strangulation.

BAPD said it's working on helping out victims in these situations. They said domestic violence calls are the number one call they get.

Chief Berryhill said they've recently changed how they ask domestic violence victims questions because they realized many victims have been strangled and they don't even realize it.

"Those offenders that strangulate people, or strangle people, they are the most dangerous people in our society. Studies have shown those who strangle are those that commit homicides, those that assault the police," Chief Berryhill said.

He said domestic violence knows no boundaries and it's a problem officers are seeing every single day.

"It is a human problem. It is not a city problem, not a county problem, it's a human problem. People in positions of power sometimes abuse that power," Chief Berryhill said.

Berryhill said his investigators use a tool called a lethality assessment when interviewing a victim of domestic violence and investigators realized a lot of victims don't initially realize what happened.

"We just discovered that some of the questions were not specific enough and some of our victims didn't realize if you are in one place and you wake up in another, and you don't realize how you got there, you were probably strangled," Chief Berryhill said.

Berryhill says they've altered their investigative questions to find out if victims have been strangled, which is a higher crime.

Berryhill and 12 other Green Country chiefs and sheriffs came together with DVIS and News On 6 to make a PSA to bring awareness to the harsh reality of domestic strangulations in our communities.

"The important people in this is really the victims. We are just a symbol of the people who are outreaching and trying to help those people," Chief Berryhill said. "Even though if you see this PSA and you are not a victim of domestic violence, if you know someone that is a victim, help them get into services."