The Rehoboth Beach Police Department takes Domestic Violence seriously. Delaware's Domestic Violence Law requires that law enforcement officers shall make an arrest if signs of physical injury or signs of a disturbance are present. The relationship between the two parties involved can be husband and wife, brother or sister combinations, father and son, boyfriend and girlfriend, etc. As long as they have lived together in the past or have a child together.

If you believe you are a victim of Domestic Violence please contact your police department or the local Battered Women's Shelter. Domestic Violence is a vicious cycle that only worsens over time. It is time to break the cycle. There's no excuse for Domestic Violence.

National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
1-800-787-3224 (TDD)

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day by trained counselors who can provide crisis assistance and information about shelters, legal advocacy, health care centers and counseling.

Facts About Domestic Violence

• A 1988 study by the National Womens Abuse Prevention Project found that physical abuse of women resulted in more injuries to women than rape, muggings and automobile crashes combined.

• A 1992 national survey by the Family Violence Prevention Fund found that 13% of women surveyed had been physically attacked by their partner.

• According to the FBI, domestic violence claims the lives of four women each day.

• Research estimates that over 2 million women each year are assaulted by their husbands or boyfriend. (National Crime Survey 1978-1982)

• Approximately 39% of assaults on wives were serious (Straus and Gelles 1986)

• More than 50% of American couples have experienced one or more incidents of assault and battery during the course of their marriage (Field and Straus 1989)

• 32% of battered women will be re-victimized within a relatively short period of time (6 months) (Langan and Innes 1986)

Last Revised: November 10, 2006