October 22nd, 2019 by WCBC Radio

The glass entrance to the Cumberland Public Safety Building is covered with a large purple ribbon and a variety of quotes to bring attention to National Domestic Violence Awareness Day on October 24.

Local Police and Fire/EMT Departments are taking the nationwide awareness effort seriously.

“Many of the calls to which our officers respond are domestic assaults and disturbances, and those numbers are not decreasing” commented Captain Chuck Ternent.

In 2018, the Cumberland Police Department responded to 375 domestic assaults and 321 domestic disturbances. At the end of September 2019, those numbers were 274 domestic assaults and 221 domestic disturbances.

During the week of October 20 – 27, City of Cumberland police officers are wearing purple bracelets to support the awareness campaign.

Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery assault, and or/other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one partner against another according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (http://www.ncadv.org)

The nationwide statistics are staggering. Every nine seconds, a woman in the US is beaten or assaulted by a current or ex-significant other. One in four men are victims of some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. Domestic violence includes physical, sexual, psychological and emotional abuse.

For those with questions concerning domestic violence can contact the Cumberland Police at 301-777-1600 or the department’s partners at the Family Crisis Resource Center at 301-759-9244 which is a 24-hour domestic abuse help hotline.