Confronting the Complexities of Domestic Violence: A Social Prescription for Rethinking Police Training

Abstract

This article reviews current research on domestic violence with an eye toward its use in developing state-of-the-art police training. The authors argue that four general presuppositions about domestic violence need to be reexamined to develop adequate police training that enhances detection, investigation, and prosecution of these crimes. Chief among these presuppositions are: (a) there is only one kind of domestic violence; (b) most domestic violence is relatively minor; (c) domestic violence is the same as other crimes; and

(d) domestic violence calls are extraordinarily dangerous for police officers. We conclude that training on domestic violence is essential, given the changing nature of domestic violence legislation, the unique attention given to police responses, and the unique nature of the crime.

KEYWORDS:

• Domestic violence
• interpersonal violence
• intimate partner abuse
• police
• training
• myths

Notes

1. These figures are not additive, and they do not combine to 100%. Victims may have experienced more than one type of violence.

2. This does not mean there are no women who commit intimate terrorism, although these instances are quite rare by most accounts. The main point is that most acts of domestic violence are either intimate terrorism, largely committed by men, or situational couple violence that involves both men and women as perpetrators.

3. This quote was taken from a website that has no date and therefore may not be current. The document does reference a 1996 law, thus it seems fair to suggest that this sentiment is not some antiquated idea. Retrieved from: http://chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/54B7AF71–5428-4EC6-AE69–158BBFBF8031/0/ModelDomesticViolenceLawEnforcementPolicy.htm

4. The other crimes that would come closer to being similar in terms of the sheer volume of research and consistent, annual legislative reforms also involve interpersonal violence such as sexual assault, rape, and stalking. It is beyond the scope of this article to examine the ways in which each of these crimes have legislatively evolved. Nonetheless, it appears that domestic violence legislative reform outpaces these other interpersonal crimes in terms both of volume of legislation and the consistency with which new laws are passed every year.

5. Part of this strategy also included using excited utterances as a way to introduce evidence without violating the hearsay rule. As a result of recent court cases, it is more difficult to use this evidence; however, it does not negate the ability of prosecutors to pursue evidence-based prosecution because of restrictions in this one area (see Gwinn, 2007).