DES MOINES, Iowa — It's the season of love, and with Valentine's Day coming up, many people may be getting ready to go out with someone new or share a special moment with their partner.
From online dating to connecting on social media, there are a lot of options to find love. But multiple organizations and law enforcement agencies explain getting hit with Cupid's arrow may not be as charming as it seems.
The holiday can paint a misleading picture of healthy, safe relationships.
"You know, talking about events like Valentine's Day, I think it brings to mind the images of like secret admirers, or this idea of plain hard to get. But what we hardly ever talk about is how this is not actually a good representation of what love should look like, or even how triggering that this kind of behavior can be for survivors of sexual violence or survivors of intimate partner violence," said Matthew Tate-Smith with Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
The saying goes "All we need is love," but when it comes to entering a new relationship or managing an old one, Lindsay Pingel with Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence believes you need boundaries first.
"If it's a brand new relationship, you know, or you've been with someone for quite some time. What I always share with people is just remember that boundaries that you set for yourself are really important, whether it's physical boundaries, emotional boundaries, what you're sharing on digital spaces with people," she said.
"When you're talking about romance scams, particularly the financial end of it, it's very difficult for investigators to track those people down because what they'll do is they'll put a considerable amount of effort into covering their tracks online." Sgt. Paul Parizek said.
DMPD wants you to know there is still a possibility to find love, but safety should be the first step.
"There's more than a dozen different sites out there to meet people. So we want you to do the same things you would do if you were a kid, you know, use the buddy system," Parizek added. "Let people know where you're going. Let people know when you're supposed to be home. All of those things are gonna keep you safe and maybe you will meet your soulmate."
If you or someone you know needs to reach out and speak with an advocate about intimate partner violence, sexual violence and other violent crimes you can find them 24/7 at the Iowa Victim Call Center. Their phone number is 1-800-770-1650, or you can text IOWAHELP to 20121.
► Download the We Are Iowa app
► Sign up for Local 5's "5 Things to Know" email newsletter
► Subscribe to Local 5 News on YouTube
Watch: Good Morning Iowa team's favorite Super Bowl foods