Op-Ed: Courage to Confront Abuse Before It Becomes Violence

The heartbreaking deaths of Tremonton-Garland police officers Lee Sorensen and Eric Estrada this week remind us of the profound dangers our law enforcement officers face. They were responding to a domestic violence call, one of the most dangerous calls an officer might respond to, and a serious evil that plagues too many homes, families and relationships.

Domestic violence is not always visible. Nor is it limited to physical harm. At its core, it is about power, control and an inability to appropriately deal with conflict. It often begins with emotional abuse such as manipulation, intimidation, or isolation that separates victims from support structures and erodes their confidence and safety long before the first act of physical violence occurs. This type of abuse can be just as damaging,