NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Metro Police officer has been stripped of his police powers, as the agency investigates one of its own.
The officer was charged with aggravated assault after police say he strangled his wife.
It's a reminder that domestic abuse can affect just about anyone. But there is help.
One resource for survivors is the Metro Nashville Family Safety Center on Murfreesboro Pike.
Before the building opened in 2019, a victim might have had to travel to several different locations across town to get a risk assessment, talk to a therapist, or take out a restraining order — not anymore.
"We are here to help, and we have a number of agencies and people here to support you in your journey," said Becky Bullard, with the Metro Office of Family Safety.
Bullard says domestic abuse can affect anyone, and that the first step of reaching out for help, is often the hardest.
"The relationship might feel calmer, there might be a lot of good times that make the person feel like the relationship can be successful, so that can make it really difficult to leave," Bullard says.
Bullard says while abuse may be hard to recognize at first, it can grow over time into clear-cut signs like strangulation — Bullard says half of all people who visit the center because of intimate violence report they've been strangled.
And after someone is strangled, research shows they're seven times more likely to die in a later instance of domestic violence.
But time and time again, Bullard says she's seen that it doesn't have to be that way. She says it starts with a call.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of abuse, there is hope.
You can call the Family Safety Center in Nashville at 615-880-1100.
You can also call the Tennessee Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-356-6767.
Here is a checklist of signs from the Family Safety Center that might indicate abuse.
