Safety & Planning Info

Tell Someone

• If you can, tell someone about the situation.
• Consider your support network. A support network should include people that will keep your information confidential and will not share information about you with the abuser which could put you at danger. Your network could include friends, family, coworkers, bosses, neighbors or teachers.
• If you do not live with your abuser but must be alone with them, inform someone of your whereabouts and check in with them at specific times. Ensure a member of your support network is aware of your plans and can check on your safety or call for help if you don’t call or return on time. Think about using code words to signify certain meanings or actions your supporter should take.
• If you don’t have a support network or its members are unavailable, SPAN can support you as much as much as possible. You can always call our crisis line for 24-hour support.
• Consider safety planning around gatherings and common spaces.

Determine a Safe Location

• Determine a safe place to go in the event you feel threatened.
• If you live with your partner, try to find a room or place in your home where you feel safe.
• Consider staying at a friend or family member’s home, if possible.
• Take down the contact information of local domestic violence shelters.
• Determine a plan for getting to your safe location (bus fare, ride-sharing, etc.).

Using Your Debit/Credit Card

• Be aware that information regarding the use of your debit/credit card can easily be accessed by your partner and may reveal your location.
• Consider the risks if you and your partner have a joint account.

Keep a Detailed Record of Abuse, Threats, Stalking, Etc.

• Keep a detailed record of physical abuse, threats, stalking and destruction of property, including dates, times and any other pertinent details.
• Documentation can be helpful in establishing a pattern of abuse and may be useful if you decide to contact the police or take legal action in the future.
• Document abusive phone calls and save harassing voice or text messages.
• Photograph property damage.
• Keep any written material that is threatening or harassing.
• Write down the names of people who witness abusive incidents.
• If you, your children or pets have received medical care because of injuries resulting from abuse, keep all records and take photographs of injuries.
• All of this evidence, including police reports, may help you obtain protection through the legal system. Even if you choose not to report right away, your documentation can help you get protection from your abuser in the future.

Going to the Hospital

• Going to the hospital or receiving any medical care, either immediately following an incident of abuse or days to weeks after an incident occurred, may be a necessary step for your own healing and safety in addition to serving as another option for documenting abuse.
• Consider that if any medical personnel have been told or believe that an injury is the result of abuse from a current or former partner, they are mandated to make a report to the police.
• Also consider that if anyone under the age of 18 reports having been sexually assaulted or an adult reports knowing a youth who has been sexually assaulted, medical personnel are mandated to make a report to the police.

Vary Your Routine

• If you are concerned about being followed or stalked, consider varying your routine.
• Choose different routes or leave at different times each day.
• If you are going out, tell a member of your support network where you are going and when you plan to be back.

Learn the Location of the Nearest 24-Hour Public Places

• If you believe you are being followed, go to the nearest 24-hour public place (a fire station, 24-hour grocery store, a hospital, a police station, etc.).

Calling the Police

• Calling the police or accessing law enforcement may be useful for some individuals, either to provide immediate intervention or to aid in documenting an incident or history of abuse.
• Mandatory Arrest: If officers are called out and they have probable cause to believe someone committed an act of domestic violence, the suspect of the crime must be arrested.
• Primary Language: If English is not your primary language or you do not feel comfortable speaking in English to police officers, most police departments have access to translators or language lines. This does not mean that a translator or language line will always be provided.

Know Your Rights

• SPAN can provide you with legal resources. To address any questions or concerns around the specifics of your situation please contact our legal advocacy team.
• You do not have to reveal your immigration status.
• As a crime victim, you are not required to report your immigration status to the police.
• Colorado Immigration Rights Coalition (CIRC) can be reached at (303) 922-3344. CIRC suggests that immigrants know they have the right to state following when questioned by law enforcement or ICE representative:
  • Have I done something wrong?
  • Am I free to leave?
  • I do not consent to a search.
  • I am going to remain silent.
  • I want to speak to my lawyer.
• You do not need to be a citizen or have papers to get a civil protection order.
• You are entitled to receive emergency medical care, regardless of your immigration status.
• Your immigration status affects your eligibility for government assistance and benefits.
• If you go to a shelter, you have the right to keep your immigration status private.

Have an Emergency Bag

If, for some reason, you must leave your abuser quickly, the following items would be helpful to have in an emergency bag:

• Money.
• Bank and other account numbers, credit card information, passwords and check books. If possible, you may want to change your passwords on certain accounts.
• Extra keys for the car, house, P.O. box, etc.
• Cell phone and charger.
• A change of clothes (both for you as well as your children).
• Public transportation schedules in the event that a car is not available.
• Motel phone numbers, local domestic violence and homeless shelter phone numbers, national domestic violence hotlines, etc.
• Driver’s license, car registration and proof of insurance, if driving.
• Your (and your children’s) birth certificates and insurance policies.
• Your children’s school ID card or other identification, if they have it.
• Pictures, jewelry or anything of sentimental value.
• Address book with phone numbers and addresses of friends and relatives.
• Medical records, prescriptions and school records.
• Social Security card (both yours and those of your children) and work permits.
• Green card and passport.
• Medicaid card or other Social Services cards, if applicable.
• Medications.
• Baby items (diapers, formula, etc.).
• If you have a pet: medication for pets, pet food and veterinarian information.
• Things you may need to help support your immigration case, including: I-94, copies of visa applications, work permits, marriage certificate, photos of wedding, wedding invites, love letters, copies of police reports and medical records, photos of injuries, divorce papers (if there were previous marriages), any supportive documentation that show you have lived with your partner (ex. copy of lease), any paperwork you may have that could prove abuse, documentation of immigration status for you, your children (if any) and your abuser.

Using Technology

When using technology please consider the following:

• Confidentiality: When leaving voicemail messages, text messages, emails, Facebook posts, etc., please consider that this information is not confidential and can be used against you by an abuser, the police, the court system and/or an employer.
• Computers: If an abuser has access to your computer, they can install a program which will monitor your activity on the machine. Consider using a computer that an abuser does not have access to.
• Browsing the web: Web browsers record every webpage that is visited. Clearing the browser’s “history” may increase your privacy.
• Email: If an abuser has access to your email account, they may be able to read your incoming and outgoing mail. If you believe your account is secure, then make sure you choose a password that your partner will not be able to guess and change it often. Consider deleting archived emails from the “Sent” or “Outbox” in addition to your “Inbox” and “Deleted Items” folders.
• Phone: An abuser can check a phone bill to monitor who you have called. Consider getting a P.O. Box so that your phone bill can be sent directly to you. If your phone has an optional location service, you may want to switch the location feature off. If an abuser has access to your cell phone for a short period of time, they can download a program to track your location through your cell phone.
• Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram: Social networking sites are an easy way for someone to get information about you. For example, other people can monitor who sends you messages and who your friends are. Use the privacy controls offered by these sites to restrict access to your page. You may want to consider removing your account, at least on a temporary basis.
• Passwords: Change your passwords often, and use different passwords for different sites and accounts. Do not use obvious passwords, such as your birthday or your pet’s name. Use passwords that include letters, numbers and symbols so that they are harder for someone to guess.
• Travel: Sometimes abusers use a global positioning system (GPS) device to monitor their victim’s whereabouts. These trackers can be placed on cars, cell phones, in purses or other objects you frequently take with you or move around in.

When Leaving is Your Best Option

• Determine a safe place to go.
• Figure out an escape plan to leave safely.
• Figure out how much it will cost, if anything.
• Determine the best way to get your children safely out of the home.
• Take your emergency bag.
• Call SPAN if you would like emergency, confidential shelter or other services: (303) 444-2424. Emergency shelter is available to all survivors of domestic violence including undocumented immigrants, people with disabilities and transgender people.