Safe Holiday Cheers

Hattiesburg, Miss. - Tis' the season for spreading love and sharing gifts with family and friends.

And with the holiday season upon us, Hattiesburg Police Officer, Lt. Jon Traxler, wants to make sure everyone has a great time and is safe as well.

Traxler said, "We do see a rise in domestic violence over the past few weeks and it is normal around this time. So we want to remind everybody don't get overwhelmed with the presents with the spending of the money, because in turn, that's going to cause you to have disagreements and want to confront people and that's what leads to our domestic violence."

And with holiday parties, Lt. Traxler encourages everyone to have a blast, but to not drink too many alcohol glasses’.

Traxler said, "People going out and going to Christmas parties, New Year's Eve parties, remember, drink responsibly so that you're not in one of those moods where the alcohol is talking for you and you wind up doing something to hurt a spouse or a family member, loved ones, or something like that."

Around the holidays, Lt. Traxler said that there is a 10-15 percent increase when it comes to domestic violence. And if you are a victim of domestic violence, you can reach out to Hattiesburg Police Department to seek out some domestic violence shelters.