Warmer weather can spark an increase of domestic-violence cases, said an Ames police officer.

Sgt. Michael Johns, information officer for the Ames Police Department, said as the weather gets hotter for long periods of time, officers see an increase in the number of domestic-violence cases. He attributed the increase to couples getting agitated because of the heat.

“Occasionally, we see a fluctuation in domestic-abuse cases,” Johns said. “What triggers that is hard to tell; sometimes it can be weather-related.”

Ames police officers have not changed procedures because of a recent increase in domestic-violence cases in Story County but do take every report very seriously, Johns said.

“We treat every domestic violence situation seriously,” Johns said. “Those situations [domestic violence] pose the greatest threat to the officer.”

Johns said although there have been no recent reports of serious injury, domestic-violence situations can escalate and physical risks are present for the officer and all parties involved in the conflict.

Michelle Zinke, rural outreach director of Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support (ACCESS), said domestic violence is defined as “a pattern of assaultive and coercive behavior, including physical, sexual and psychological attacks.”

Zinke also said she domestic violence itself is necessarily increasing; she said simply the number of cases reported for service is growing.

“I would question an area that has very few arrests because that means it [domestic violence] is not taken very seriously,” she said.

Officers are mandated to make arrests if there is any sign of physical injury but are not required to in verbal situations, Johns said.

If an arrest is not immediately made, it is the victim/survivor’s decision to press charges, Zinke said.

The majority of cases involving domestic assault are classified as serious or aggravated misdemeanors, punishable by up to a year in prison with a fine not exceeding $1,000 and two years in prison with a fine not exceeding $5,000, respectively.

Bond cannot be set until after the case is brought before a judge, Johns said.

Between July 1998 and June 1999, ACCESS provided services to 453 victims/survivors.

In the nine months between July 1999 and March 2000, ACCESS has already provided services to 547 people in Story County, Zinke said.