MUNCIE, Ind. -- A Ball State graduate has started a program in Muncie to help keep the community safer and provide help for domestic violence victims.
Shelby Looper's "On-call Domestic Violence Program" works with the Muncie Police Department when they respond to domestic violence calls so they can offer immediate help to victims.
"It's really important for me to be there to say I know where we can go and I know how to get you the help you need when you don't really know what to do next," said Looper.
Looper said she realized during an internship in 2016 that victims in rural areas outside of Muncie don't have the same access to services and help that those living in bigger cities have, and she felt a calling to fix that.
RESOURCES | Muncie Police Department Victim Advocates | National Domestic Violence Hotline
"There are so many elements to when police officers are on the scene, and whether it be a male or female offender, they're getting arrested," said Looper. "The victim's over here, they might be beaten up, there might be kids present, they might not know where to go, they might not have any money."
Looper was also one of 12 people honored by the Department of Justice last week for her commitment to victims of violent crime.
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