Officials advocate for more work to decrease domestic violence

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we're learning new details about the extent of domestic violence here in the state. Domestic violence has been going down. That data is according to 40 years of state data. But officials say there are still 15,000 to 16,000 incidents every single year. And a third of all homicides could be tied to domestic violence. Women are disproportionately the victim and men are more likely to be the offenders. Advocates say more work needs to be done. Investment in prevention has to work with essential crisis services. So that means that training and education have to be with our employers, have to be with our educators, have to be with our first responders and others. And if you are experiencing domestic violence, the state has a text to 911 service. If you don't feel safe calling, just send a text to 911. You can also call the state's domestic violence hotline. That number is right there at the bottom of your screen.