LANSING – Along with the pandemic affecting all of our lives, domestic violence rates have also increased.
In the city of Lansing alone, the numbers jumped from 539 cases in 2019 to 662 in 2020. Lt. Chris Baldwin, a supervisor in the Lansing Police Department’s detective bureau, said that despite the trend, the department has not dealt with domestic violence cases or charges any differently than they would have before the pandemic.
“Officers will either arrest based on probable cause at the scene if the accused is on scene, or the written report will be sent to the prosecutor the following day for issuance of an arrest warrant when an accused subject can be found,” Baldwin said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, there are many factors that can contribute to domestic violence. People are trapped with their abusers during quarantining periods. Research has been done by many people such as Dr. Jia Xue, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto who specializes in social welfare. According to her research, calls to domestic violence hotlines have increased 25% worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic.
The City Rescue Mission of Lansing is a well-known emergency shelter in the area that helps domestic violence survivors. Senior Director of Community Engagement Laura Grimwood is very aware of the dilemma the pandemic has caused when it comes to dealing with domestic violence cases.
“While we have, of course, implemented measures to follow safety guidelines and protect our guests, we have not changed how we assist those coming from domestic violence situations,” Grimwood said. “Although capacity guidelines have created a challenge, that does not change the fact that we are an emergency shelter, where people come as they need our services.”
The Tri-County Office on Aging (Ingham, Clinton and Eaton Counties) has also been helping the Lansing community when it comes to domestic violence. An organization dedicated to education and awareness efforts for elder abuse, they have collaborated for several years with End Violent Encounters, an organization in Lansing focused on domestic violence.
Community Relations Director Tammy Lemmer stated how the organization has been keeping up with the current situation.
“Pretty much everything has shifted remotely,” Lemmer said. “We also are not doing in-person consultations or assessments…[We are] looking at medical care needs…what’s going on in their home environment…”