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Published on 12/04/1995 All articles from this issue

Domestic violence surges in December

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

During the holidays, while jingle bells ring and tree lights twinkle, domestic violence surges in Los Altos.

According to numbers furnished by Los Altos Police Chief Lucy Carlton, the police in the past three years have answered up to four times as many domestic violence calls in December than in November.

"Batterers like to ruin holidays," said Anne King, crisis component supervisor at the Support Network for Battered Women in Mountain View.

"It follows a pattern. If the woman shows signs of independence, if she seems happy, he will ruin a party or embarrass her in front of her friends," she said.

Holiday expectations - for gifts, for good times, for family togetherness - all create additional strains on families during December, Carlton said.

People go out and spend, the bills come in and money can become an issue.

People party and drink, inhibitions are lowered, and alcohol can become a trigger for domestic violence.

"The holidays bring families together that generally are not," Carlton said. "Throw in some drinking and old baggage comes up and problems result.

"One guy threw the Christmas tree right through the front window," she said of her days on patrol in Milpitas.

"People want to throw Christmas out the door - literally."

Carlton offers these tips to women who may be victims of domestic violence:

• Plan, even if you think there may not be a next time. "Things at the holidays become more intense."

• Trust your instincts. Dial 911 if you are afraid. "There will be people there to help you, to help your children, 24 hours a day. You are not alone," Carlton said.

• Get help beforehand. "Don't wait until the batterer is beyond control."

• Call the 24-hour crisis hotline at the Support Network for Battered Women, 940-7855.

Sometimes victims don't pick up the phone because they just want to keep peace during the holidays, counselors said.

"They don't want to upset the kids or get someone arrested or break up the family," King said. So she doesn't see an increase in calls in December.

"People come forward in January and tell what happened in December."

Domestic violence is an ongoing, daily event, she said. "It is like an epidemic."

But counselors agree: no one deserves to be abused - physically, emotionally, sexually, or financially.