- Get out of the house, and/or call the police.
- You can also plan ahead on how you will keep safe in an emergency.
- And you can get help from a hotline, shelter or advocate.
- During an incident of abuse, get out of the house if at all possible. Seek help from a trusted neighbor, friend or family member.
- Call 911, or ask your children to call 911.
- If you cannot get out of the house, stay away from the kitchen, bathroom, garage or other potentially dangerous rooms.
- Call for help. Neighbors may hear you.
Police are trained to help you deal with domestic violence. They will take you seriously. Call them as soon you think you are in danger. Don't wait. Ask for an interpreter who speaks your language. Police are required to do this. The police do not enforce immigration laws. Hotlines - If you are worried, need some advice, or want someone to talk to, a hotline can help you. The hotline will refer you to resources in your language, help you and your children find an emergency shelter, and put you in touch with an advocate who can help you plan what to do next. Hotlines provide information and keep your details private. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Shelters - A safe place for you and your children
If you need to get out of your home because it is not safe, a shelter can be a place for you and your children to live for a while. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Advocate - Someone who is on your side
An advocate will support you and help you make choices about your future and your safety. The advocate has experience working with people in your situation. The advocate will help you understand your legal rights, and help you find others who can help you. The advocate will listen to your story, talk to you about your experiences, and support you as you build a life free of violence. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Getting help from the police You have the right to be protected from the person hurting you or threatening you. The police will help you. You are not on your own. When you call 911:
- You will be asked to give an accurate street address, a clear description of what happened, when it happened, your partner's name, date of birth, vehicle license number, and a physical description (hair color, skin color, age, height, and weight).
- The operator will send police officers to your home. The police may not arrive immediately, so seek safety now.
- You have the right to call 911 for police protection if your partner has beaten you or threatened to hurt you.
- The police will help you and protect you.
- Local police do not report domestic violence to the US Citizenship and Immigration Service. (However, USCIS might eventually be notified through the court process.) If you are asked about your immigration status, you can tell the officer that you don't wish to answer, and that you need to speak with an attorney.
- Tell the 911 operators the name (in English) of the language you speak. The 911 operators will make a phone connection with someone who speaks your language.
- You will then be speaking to two people, the interpreter and the 911 operator.
- If there are weapons, such as guns, in your home, tell the officers where they are.
- If you are hurt, show the officers any bruises, marks, cuts or other injuries.
- If you have an Protection Order, be sure to tell the police officer, and show him/her the Protection Order if you have a copy.
- Separate you and your partner.
- Acquire an interpreter if you ask for one.
- Ask each of you questions.
- Collect as much information as possible about the incident. (If your partner has hurt or scared you before, that is important information. Tell the police the details.)
- Stay with you for a while to keep you safe or to enforce your Protection Order.
- Give you information about your legal rights.
- Give you information about shelters and other services in your community.
- Take you and your children safely out of the home if you want to leave, and help you get transportation to a safe place.
- Find someone you trust (not the abuser or your child, nor the abuser's relatives or friends) to interpret for you.
- The police officers can call a telephone interpreter to translate for you.
- You can write a description of what happened in your own language and ask the officers to add it to their report.
- Officers may arrest your partner if they believe that a crime has been committed.
- Ask for his/her name and badge number, as well as for the officer's precinct and phone number, and write this information down - or you can ask the officer for his/her business card.
- Ask for the police 'incident number' and write it down.
- If the police take the abuser to jail, the abuser may be released in a few hours, or may be held for several days or longer. You can receive a telephone notice of the abuser's release from jail if you register with VINE (available for the King County Jail only), a computerized phone system. To register for this free service, call 1-877-425-8463. Ask an advocate or someone who speaks English to help you.
- If you think that the officer has not properly honored your rights, contact his/her commanding officer. It is your right to do this. Your complaint may lead to improvements that help other people.