Why does Colorado Springs have more domestic violence calls than Denver?

Every single day in Colorado Springs, police respond to an average of about 40 domestic violence calls. We’re told that number is much higher than Denver’s.

Now, a local realtor is stepping in to help. Terry Naber has close ties to domestic violence; she’s seen it impact her friends and is currently working with TESSA, a local organization to end it.

“I saw horrendous things happen to these friends who were totally dominating, isolated, abused, and both emotionally and physically sometimes in the worst ways,” says Naber.

Naber is collecting health items for survivors. It can be anything from toothbrushes to soap and other household items.

Courtney Sutton, the safety and support manager with TESSA, says there’s a lot of reasons why Colorado Springs police are getting about 40 calls a day related to domestic violence.

“I think our culture has a lot to do with it. Domestic violence is about entitlement, it’s about power and control and thinking you can have control over your partner,” says Sutton.

According to Sutton, they do see a higher number of military-related reports. But in her eyes, it’s not that significant.

“We do track our military numbers and it’s not as substantial as you would think it would be,” she said. “It is a large number, but I don’t think it’s outrageous compared to the rest of our city because domestic violence affects everybody.”

Colorado Springs police want to remind you that 40 calls a day can vary significantly. Sutton said Colorado Springs experiences about 10-15 more calls per day than Denver.

“[Cases like] a domestic relationship and [someone is] upset because somebody did not do what they were supposed to, they didn’t do the dishes, and we are in an argument about it — that may come in as domestic violence, but there is no crime there,” says Lt. Jim Sokolik with the Colorado Springs Police Department. “But I don’t want to belittle, we have very serious calls for service for domestic violence where one partner or one half is assaulting and is physically injuring the other one.”

In Colorado, domestic violence isn’t a crime in and of itself. But instead, it’s a charge enhancer, based on the situation. Sutton says that could also be a contributing factor to why these numbers are growing in Colorado Springs.