Efforts to take on domestic violence across Tucson highlighted by officials

Law enforcement officials in Pima County highlighted that October is domestic violence awareness month during a news conference Tuesday in which agencies discussed efforts to combat the problem.

There are about 13,000 domestic-violence related calls made to police and deputies in Pima County each year. It costs $3.3 million to respond to them, a news release from Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse said.

In Arizona, 55 domestic-violence-related deaths have occurred in 2018 as of August, 14 of which were in Pima County. From June 2017 to June 2018, Emerge fielded nearly 5,550 domestic violence-related calls on its multilingual hotline.

Officials say $1 million in grant money has helped address the violence.

“These monies are helping us conduct specialized training, translate domestic-violence related resource materials, recruit bilingual detectives, conduct bilingual medical exams, and provide other critical support services,” said Carla Johnson, an assistant chief with Tucson police.

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Pima County landmarks like the Main Library wil be lit in purple to bring awareness about October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild delivered a proclamation that Oct. 18 will be Wear Purple Day to stand in solidarity with victims of domestic violence.

“There is a problem. Too many people think that they have a right to control others, they think they have a right to use violence, threats, lying, intimidation and coercion,” said Rothschild. “They have a sense of entitlement, and in some cases their identity is based on it.”

The agencies participating in the news conference included Emerge, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, the Tucson Police Department and the Pima County Attorney’s Office.