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There are about 13,000 domestic-violence related calls made to police and deputies in Pima County each year. It costs $3.3 million to respond to them, a news release from Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse said.

In ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, 55 domestic-violence-related deaths have occurred in 2018 as of August, 14 of which were in Pima County. From June 2017 to June 2018, Emerge fielded nearly 5,550 domestic violence-related calls on its multilingual hotline.

Officials say $1 million in grant money has helped address the violence.

“These monies are helping us conduct specialized training, translate domestic-violence related resource materials, recruit bilingual detectives, conduct bilingual medical exams, and provide other critical support services,â€� said Carla Johnson, an assistant chief with ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ police.

Pima County landmarks like the Main Library wil be lit in purple to bring awareness about October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mayor Jonathan Rothschild delivered a proclamation that Oct. 18 will be Wear Purple Day to stand in solidarity with victims of domestic violence.

“There is a problem. Too many people think that they have a right to control others, they think they have a right to use violence, threats, lying, intimidation and coercion,� said Rothschild. “They have a sense of entitlement, and in some cases their identity is based on it.�

The agencies participating in the news conference included Emerge, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Police Department and the Pima County Attorney’s Office.