Detective Chris LeGrow works closely with domestic violence victims in the Omaha Police Department. He is a 17 year veteran of OPD. Detective LeGrow spoke with KMTV about domestic violence and when victims should seek help.
What are some key warning signs of an abusive relationship?
"Before we get into the 'it's bad' situation, one needs to recognize that in many domestic violence relationships, early isolation should be one of your key indicators. In other words, the significant other cuts you off from your close relationships, such as your family, your church, your friends, things like that, and isolates you. It's a means of control."
After the break-up, how should one go about dividing property?
"Those types of situations where you're so integrated with your relationship in property makes it very difficult to break those things off, because you have, first of all, things jointly, and contracts. It can be everything from a rental agreement, to your lease on your apartment, to rental properties, and those type of things. So you'd have to go and work with the person who you rented those things from."
How can law enforcement help?
"There are opportunities where the Omaha police can meet you at your house or apartment to retrieve your property...Anything that can be considered joint property, that's going to have to be taken care of civilly. The police cannot really get into that.”
Who else can help besides OPD?
"The police have a very defined role, there are other organizations in the city whose role it is to provide that help, such as the WCA (Woman's Center for Advancement)...provides lots of resources, lots of information one can do simply by contacting them."
Family knows best.
"A lot of times family members can be good indicators on whether or not a relationship is good because they can look at an individual with a different set of eyes than you do. You're looking at them through your emotions and your romance...They can look at things in terms of 'is this a good relationship?'."
