Lt. James Espinoza

Between 2000 and 2013 the F.B.I. identified 160 active shooters incidents which occurred in the U.S. The study found that all but two active shooters had acted alone.

Hiding in plain site. Many times people have not thought about how to respond to an active shooter situation, so they immediately hide. However, in this matter of life and death, that’s not the smartest thing to do. It’s important to know all of the exits routes in the facility you work in, so that you can get out as quickly and safely as possible!

Minutes matter. In 2014, the F.B.I. conducted a study of 63 active shooting incidents. Where the duration of the incident could be ascertained, 44 ended in five minutes or less, with 23 ending in two minutes or less.

Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.

Physical Abuse: Hitting, slapping, shoving, grabbing, pinching, biting, hair pulling, etc are types of physical abuse. This type of abuse also includes denying a partner medical care or forcing alcohol and/or drug use upon him or her.

Sexual Abuse: Coercing or attempting to coerce any sexual contact or behavior without consent. Sexual abuse includes, but is certainly not limited to, marital rape, attacks on sexual parts of the body, forcing sex after physical violence has occurred, or treating one in a sexually demeaning manner.

Emotional Abuse: Undermining an individual’s sense of self-worth and/or self-esteem is abusive. This may include, but is not limited to constant criticism, diminishing one’s abilities, name-calling, or damaging one’s relationship with his or her children.

Economic Abuse: Is defined as making or attempting to make an individual financially dependent by maintaining total control over financial resources, withholding one’s access to money, or forbidding one’s attendance at school or employment.

Psychological Abuse: Elements of psychological abuse include – but are not limited to – causing fear by intimidation; threatening physical harm to self, partner, children, or partner’s family or friends; destruction of pets and property; and forcing isolation from family, friends, or school and/or work.

Domestic violence can happen to anyone regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. Domestic violence occurs in both opposite-sex and same-sex relationships and can happen to intimate partners who are married, living together, or dating.

Domestic violence not only affects those who are abused, but also has a substantial effect on family members, friends, co-workers, other witnesses, and the community at large. Children, who grow up witnessing domestic violence, are among those seriously affected by this crime. Frequent exposure to violence in the home not only predisposes children to numerous social and physical problems, but also teaches them that violence is a normal way of life – therefore, increasing their risk of becoming society’s next generation of victims and abusers.

Sources: National Domestic Violence Hotline, National Center for Victims of Crime, and WomensLaw.org.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported an estimated total annual cost of $36 Billion in loses for businesses. This includes the loss in productivity caused by domestic violence.

• Accuse of cheating and being disloyal

• Intimidate and threaten to hurt the individual or a loved one

• Threaten to hurt themselves if they don’t get what they want

• Try to control what an individual does and who they see

• Pressuring or forcing an individual into unwanted sex

• Hurting by hitting, choking or kicking

• Controlling an individual’s access to money

• Stalking, including calling an individual constantly or following them around