In many rural areas the community tends to be very close-knit, so when an officer gets a call about a friend of his in a domestic violence situation he tends to make some errors. One error is failure to write a report: One way police walk away from violence against women is by simply walking away. No report means no work, no hassle, no record, no domestic violence, no investigation, no court dates, no problem. The officer may feel as though he is protecting his friend’s name or family name. Another error is failure to get an adequate victim statement. Failing to get an adequate victim statement is the single most significant and most common deficit of law enforcement response to rape, domestic violence, and child abuse. The officer may agree
