St. Clair County on a mission to stop dating violence ahead of school year

St. Clair County police chiefs hosted a back-to-school dating violence prevention forum for teenagers and young adults this week in Moody. Research shows that the ages of 16 to 24 are the most at-risk age group for relationship violence. Officials in St. Clair County hope to combat this issue by helping people with tips on how to recognize dating or relationship violence in the workplace, among friends, relatives, and especially teens. "Domestic and dating violence cuts across every race, income, age, and educational level in our communities. It is the leading cause of injury to women and it's important to learn the facts, to know the signs and to know which resources are available for victims," said Odenville police chief Glen Walton, who is president of the St. Clair County Chiefs Association.Types of abuse can include emotional, physical and sexual.Moody police chief Reese Smith said this program is something they’ve been wanting to do for a while now.“The kids need to be armed with information before they go back to college. Freshmen, before they go to college, need to be armed with this information," Smith said. "High schoolers need to be armed with this information and learn the flags of unhealthy behavior. It's not even abusive behavior, it's unhealthy.” Statistics show that 40% of teenage girls aged 14 to 17 say they know someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend..The organizations helping with these local efforts to educate teens are One Place Family Justice Center, the YWCA, and the Megan Montgomery Foundation. Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WVTM 13Free prevention programs will also be available to schools that focus on creating safe and healthy relationships in an effort to stop relationship violence before it starts.