BEDFORD (WSLS 10) - To help fight one of the most under reported crimes, Bedford is spreading the word in a unique way.
Six weeks ago, the Bedford Police Department and Bedford County Sheriff's Office unveiled two new police cruisers wrapped in purple to spread the word about domestic violence awareness.
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In that short period of time, officers and community leaders say it's making a difference in donations and calls to domestic violence help lines.
"It says domestic violence, while we understand it's a crime, it's a crime we take very seriously in Bedford," said Leanne Dudley, the director of Bedford Domestic Violence Services. "We will not tolerate people being scared to go home within our community."
In April, the agency received around 500 calls to its hotline, more than twice what it received just a few months earlier.
While that may raise some eyebrows, Dudley said it's a sign victims are reaching out for help. She believes the purple police cruiser serves as a reminder to the community.
The purple wrap on the vehicles was paid for through donations.
Bedford Police Chief Todd Foreman's goal is to change the culture in his department when it comes to domestic violence.
"It's not about making arrests, it's not about putting people in jail. It's about helping the victims," Foreman said. "It's about solving the problems and making things better."
While the purple vehicles are on the road five days per week, Foreman said the department also gets regular requests to bring it to community events.
From those appearances, Dudley said more monetary and food donations have come into the shelter.
"For me, it instills a great deal of pride in my community to know that this car is out there," she said. "It's raising awareness constantly."