The Zonta Club of Parker County recently appeared before the Parker County Commissioners’ Court to request approval for a special display at the County Courthouse Annex during Zonta International’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which is set for Nov. 25 – Dec. 10.
The Commissioners’ Court unanimously approved the request, supporting the club’s efforts to raise awareness of domestic violence in Parker County.
The display will feature shoes symbolizing local domestic violence cases, orange ribbons representing the campaign to end violence against women, and signs highlighting Zonta’s work to build a better world for women and girls. Through this display, the club hopes to spark conversations, increase awareness, and encourage community action to end gender-based violence.
According to a Texas Department of Public Safety 2023 report 820 family violence cases were reported in Parker County. 488 cases were reported to Parker County Sheriff’s Office; Weatherford Police Department, 278; Willow Park PD, 24; Springtown PD, 18; Reno PD, 9; Hudson Oaks PD, 3. Aledo did not have a police department in 2023.
DPS breaks out victims by sex only at the state level. In the 2016 report, of the family violence victims whose sex was known, 28 percent were male and 72 percent were female. Applying that ratio to Parker County is only an estimate, but it suggests about 600 of the 2023 incidents involved female victims.
In October 2025, Parker County’s Victim Assistance coordinator Lisa Mehrhoff reported to commissioners that 40 percent of crime in Parker County is domestic violence, a big increase since she started working there in 2007. She said about six people a day now come in needing a protective order, compared with one or two a month eighteen years ago.
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