Chapter 3: Part 4 - Why I Stayed
SOL (or Shit Out of Luck)
This is a very difficult part of ‘My Story’.
On a night in JUNE 2011 I dialed 911 and help arrived. The two Atlanta cops who showed up spoke to Todd and me separately. I told ‘my officer’ what had happened. I was hysterical and probably fairly incoherent. I had just had a very forceful encounter with a wall! I didn’t have any bruises to show because sadly bruises can take a few hours to manifest. I know. I wore bruises for 7 years. The cops told Todd to spend the night in a hotel until I ‘calmed down’. You see some cops are men first and law enforcement officers second. This was back in 2011. So off he went in a taxi, while I spent the rest of the night paying an emergency service a LOT of money to change all the door locks.
After a day or two Todd returned. Locked doors meant nothing to him. And then I wore bruises that were visible to all. But no one saw them as I was learning to hide because who was left to help me? I learned not to call the cops again. In that regard I was a fast learner.
Now the trap door slammed shut.
And Fear became my permanent friend.
What is interesting is that while I was collecting evidence for the trial against Todd in 2019, I was able to purchase the Atlanta police report from 8 years earlier (2011). It’s 10 sentences long. In essence it says, and I quote:
“During my investigation, I did not see any signs of physical aggression. The wall was untouched, and there were no marks or bruises.”
Incident #11-169-0569-00
Today reading this almost makes me laugh. Thank god the wall was OK! So, Officers O. Beckless and SG Jones, thank you. You condemned me to another 6 years and 6 months of relentless, brutal abuse because after meeting you two I firmly believed that no one in law enforcement would ever believe me and help me. But Officers Beckless and Jones you need to know that the man you believed instead of me, is now a 3 time convicted felon. Yes, I eventually attained Justice, but at what a price! I can only hope that by now you have been trained to identify the symptoms of trauma. That you now know that people who have endured a traumatic event will appear shaken, disoriented, anxious, over-emotional and struggle to concentrate. And that you don’t send the next felon to a hotel while the victim “calms down.”
I find this Blog difficult because it screams “cop-hater.” And Yes, I did hate those two Atlanta officers. But 6.5 years later my life was saved by four Hays County officers who went to extraordinary lengths not only to trace my call, but also to save me from Domestic Homicide that undoubtedly lay in my future. These 4 Officers and the behind-the-scenes support team are the true Heroes in My Story.
I will tell this remarkable story in due course. Not only to celebrate Police Excellence, but also to ponder on what the difference was between my two starkly different experiences with Law Enforcement.
And most importantly, how can what I learned help you!