Police And Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is a serious problem in the United States. It is estimated that 30 percent of women and 10 percent of men within this country have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by a partner (Miller, Hess, Orthmann, 2014, p. 432). In 2007, 2,340 deaths were related to domestic violence and about 70 percent of those people were females (Miller, Hess, Orthmann, 2014, p. 408). With such a large percentage of the population being affected by domestic it is a public health issue. It also becomes a serious problem within our society and needs to be addressed by law enforcement. This crime has the protentional to have severe, and deadly consequences. An argument between a couple can escalate very quickly and turn into …show more content…
These factors add more challenges for police to effectively respond to domestic violence. Police do not need to always arrest the batterer. It was found that most battering suspects discontinued their aggressive behavior even if they were not arrested by police (Miller, Hess, Orthmann, 2014, p. 437). This shows mandatory arrest policies for all batterers may be unnecessary and tie up a communities limited resources away from identifying the worst offenders and the victims at the greatest risk. By police simply responding to the situation and talking to the couple it has shown to reduce the subsequent aggression against the female. In addition, making contact with the couple whether the batterer was arrested or not arrested, most suspects had no subsequent criminal offenses against the original victim (Miller, Hess, Orthmann, 2014, p. 437). Having officers simply make contact seems to reduce the risk of further violence even if an arrest isn’t made. This simple fact is enough of a reason for police to address domestic violence in their …show more content…
437). When law enforcement agencies have specialized domestic violence unites which focus on repeat victim contact and evidence collection, there is a significant increase in the likelihood of prosecution, conviction and sentencing of the abuser. In addition, the victim is more likely to leave their abuser sooner. The victim leaves within four months, as opposed to an average of 14 months for those who did not receive specialized police response. It also leads to higher victim reporting of the abuse, and an increase likelihood that victims will seek and secure a protective order against their abusers. These reasons are all the more reason why it is important that law enforcement address domestic violence in the community. In addition, addressing these problems along with being specially trained to respond to the sensitive situations, the victims are more likely to seek help, report the incident, and seek protection. This can lead to less repeated domestic violence cases, along with protecting women from further