LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville is reporting an increase in domestic violence-related homicides this year.

According to Louisville Metro Police, there have been 12 domestic violence-related homicides thus far in 2022. There were nine reported in 2020, followed by 10 last year.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and representatives from the Center for Women and Families, La Casita Center and other advocates gathered Friday to call for greater attention to domestic violence and its harmful impact.

"I want to start with three strong messages for people experiencing domestic violence right now," Fischer said. "You are not alone. Help is available. There is no judgement or shame."

Fischer said a national criminal justice report shows an 8% increase in domestic violence cases after people went on lockdown during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fischer said domestic violence isn't a family issue, instead a community problem.

"If you're thinking, this doesn't impact me, it impacts somebody you know," Fischer said. "Or impacts somebody that your kids know at school. It could have an impact on you. So this is a community wide issue that I'm asking everybody please be more alert than ever before to domestic violence and its tragic impact."

Center for Women and Families CEO Elizabeth Wessels-Martin said domestic violence often begins with emotional, verbal and psychological abuse, and then it can escalate to physical abuse.

"One in every three women and one in every four men in Kentucky experience some form of domestic violence in their lifetime," Wessels-Martin said. "Domestic violence isn't just a slap or a hit, it starts way before that. Domestic violence is all about power and control that the perpetrator insists on having over the victim."

In April, LMPD Chief Erika Shields said 20-25% of the city's homicides are directly tied to domestic violence in some form.

According to a news release, LMPD added two civilians to its Domestic Violence United staff, both of whom are former domestic violence investigators.

LMPD said it has made 613 domestic violence-related arrests this year. 

The Center for Women and Families' emergency hotline is 1-844-237-2331. The 24-hour hotline provides crisis response, emergency shelter, sexual assault services and more. 

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