Burleson found a new way to combat domestic violence. ‘People’s lives changed’
A simple but powerful resource in Burleson for victims of domestic violence is receiving widespread attention, earning the Burleson Police Department special recognition from Washington this week.
Two years ago, the department began placing posters around the city with a QR code that lets victims discreetly seek help. The success of Burleson’s Victim Assistance Poster Program has prompted other departments and cities around the country to start similar initiatives.
U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, the Republican from Texas’ 25th congressional district, was in Burleson on Friday to honor the department leaders.
“Something as simple as a poster or billboard can change someone’s life,” Williams said as he presented a framed copy of the Congressional Record from the day he spoke about the program in D.C.
Williams also gave Burleson police a framed American flag that had flown above the U.S. Capitol.
“It’s local,” Williams said of the poster program, “but now it’s around the country.”
The posters bear the message “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” and an image of a young woman holding her head in her hand. The QR code pulls up a form asking what type of help a victim needs.
Collin Gregory, a Burleson police communications coordinator who helped introduce the poster program, said victims aren’t simply put in a queue once they request help. A response comes within minutes or hours, depending on the time of day, and it typically comes in the form of a personal reply from Stephanie Beard, the Burleson police victim assistance coordinator.
Beard said people who reach out can provide as little or as much information as they want, as long as she has a way to contact them, which can be through a phone call, text message, email or in-person visit.
The poster program has proven valuable, Beard said, because domestic violence victims too often face barriers in seeking help.
“I can give them resources and brochures, but they can’t take them home,” said Beard, alluding to the fear victims have of their partners discovering what they’re doing.
Beard said the posters are primarily in restrooms because they are places where people can safely and discreetly ask for help.
After an initial launch, the department revamped the poster program with input from domestic violence survivors. Since then, Beard said, it has been more effective at reaching victims.
Beard receives around 10 requests for assistance a month through the QR code on the posters, but she believes there will be more opportunities for outreach as the program grows its reach and posters are hung in more places.
The Burleson Police Department has been in talks with other cities and organizations around the country that want to mirror the program. Billboards with the Burleson poster’s image and messaging are now in Johnson, Tarrant, Dallas, Ellis and Collin counties.
Posters and billboards outside Burleson direct victims to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233). Those seeking help in Burleson will continue receiving support directly from Beard and her team.
As for what the Victim Assistance Poster Program means for those suffering at the hands of an abusive partner, Beard said she’s had people tell her it made all the difference.
When Beard makes contact with a victim, she doesn’t pressure them to do anything they don’t want to do. Her job is to give them options, to let them know there is a better path forward.
“I have no limits here,” Beard said of the freedom she is afforded by the police department to do her job to the best of her abilities. “I can provide all the resources, and we see people’s lives changed.”
Burleson business owners who want to request victim assistance posters for their establishments can do so here.