Interagency Response to Domestic Violence in a Medium Size City

• NCJ Number: 201659
• Author(s): Erin Lane M.P.M; Joan Lucera M.S.; Rachel Boba Ph.D.
• Date Published: July 2003
• Length: 184 pages
• Grant Number(s): 98DVWXK015
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Corporate Author: Police Foundation
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded August 19, 2003.

Annotation

The study examined one medium-sized, mid-Atlantic city's efforts to reduce domestic violence through the coordinated work of the police department and a wide range of criminal justice, social services, and community agencies.

Abstract

The research involved an assessment of an interagency domestic violence coalition, the Domestic Violence Coordinating Committee (DVCC), as well as two exploratory analyses of the police department's domestic violence data. As used in the city's efforts and in this study, "domestic violence" refers to violence committed against one member of a current or past intimate couple by the other. The study was conducted between February 2000 and June 2001. The evolution of the DVCC was examined over its first 13 years of existence. The analysis found that although the DVCC is the explicit interagency, the police had not been involved with the DVCC until well into the field work for this study. Generally, the police have not been active in interagency efforts to improve domestic violence response. The police were becoming involved in the meetings of the DVCC as the field work was concluding in January 2001. The police department has developed a domestic violence training video that is used at the police recruit training academy. To assist victims of domestic violence, the police department collaborates with the local Department of Social Services on the Domestic Violence Responder program. This involves training officers in the functions of the Domestic Violence Responders and encouraging officers to call them in relevant situations. When the Domestic Violence Responders do not respond with police to a domestic violence incident, officers provide victims with referrals to a variety of resources in the community. The lack of interagency communication and the absence of police representation on the DVCC were the main collaboration-related concerns expressed by interviewees not connected with the police department. This suggested to them that domestic violence was not a high priority for the police department. This report also discusses the police use of dual arrest (arrest of both alleged perpetrators and complaining alleged victims) in intimate assault cases. Recommendations are offered for the police responses to personal violence between intimates. 17 tables, 6 figures, and 13 references