'VST' for those who have not read any of my previous DV posts stands for Victim Support Team.
I just did another shift with the Seattle Police department today and I am exhausted. I worked 2nd watch which is 11am to 7pm. This may seem like a long time but you would be surprised how quickly the time passes when you are responding to a DV call out, or following up victims, or even just driving to the different precincts to make our presence known.
But today all my partner and I did was play the waiting game...
Waiting, waiting, waiting...and the waiting continued, waiting and driving.
Maybe is was the sunny weather? It was just too nice a day to beat someone. Or everyone was enjoying a day at the Bite of Seattle; eating, drinking and just having fun?
I am guessing that domestic violence was occurring, but for some reason the calls weren't coming in? Maybe some of you reading this are currently in a relationship that has some of the signs of domestic violence. Maybe your partner hasn't hit you yet, but all the signs of an unhealthy relationship are there?
Or maybe the violence has started? It could have been happening for a long time? Now is the time to seek help. I can tell you from personal experience that the violence does not decrease over time, it escalates. There are many resources to support both men and women who are living with domestic violence.
The National Domestic Violence Help Line
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available to callers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and able to provide services in over 150 languages. Hotline advocates are available to answer questions, provide safety planning and information as well as directly connect callers to domestic violence resources available in their local calling area. All calls to the Hotline are anonymous.
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