Police Response To Domestic Violence Paper

Police Response to Domestic Violence Paper

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the Institution]

Police Response to Domestic Violence Paper

The domestic violence calls are a very common category of police call in few cities of the country. The responding officers consider it as chaotic and dangerous for all including the victims and their children. Domestic Violence crime is considered as a unique crime that requires unique data and effective approaches for a safe response. Each department has its own policies and procedures for answering these calls for the facility. Similarly, the police officers are trained well in weaponless and non-lethal defense. The response of the police depends on the concept that which domestic call is on high priority or a life-threatening situation. In such cases, the police respond even after the victim withdraws the request.

Secondly, the officers approach very carefully and they are trained in using the emergency lights, sirens, observe and watch before stating their presence. It is very important for the safety of everyone and to expose significant evidence. Thirdly, they are also very careful about sending less number of officers. It is because it can be a quicker response and feasible for the officers to reach on the spot (Corp, 2016). At the same time, collecting evidence is another significant task for the officers.

Mandatory charging is the policy that emphasizes the police to charge the offender in the domestic violence incident where the officers feel the need for a conviction regardless of the victim's interest. The law enforcement agency is responsible to take a person to jail if the person has caused any physical violence, any serious body injury and the event was latest (within 4 hours). Likewise, the law has also allowed the officers to arrest both parties who are involved in the incident. The violence against woman is no more a private matter to keep it behind the closed doors. The laws nowadays are more responsive to domestic violence calls.

According to the latest report, the domestic violence in the United States has increased and the rates are rose by 11% since 2014 (Lissner, 2018). At the same time, the report also informs that the women who murder their intimate male partners reached 25%. This shows that women are murdering men equally. According to the National Statistics Domestic Violence fact sheet 2018, about 20 people on average are physically abused by their intimate partner in one minute in the United States and it makes more than 10 million men and women (“NCADV”, 2019). Moreover, the report also highlights that 1 out of 4 women and 1 out of 9 men face severe physical violence and sexual violence from their intimate partners throughout the country (“NCADV”, 2019). The increasing number of figures show that police forces must take action to enhance the effectiveness of the service they provide to the victims of domestic violence in the United States.

The new approaches by the officers will ensure that the risks will be managed in a better and safer way. Under the mandatory policy, it is mentioned that officers can make arrests under specific conditions like evidence of the physical attack, protection order violation and another form of abuse that officer may witness. However, it is debated by many people that the policy escalates the violence and increases the chances of happening it again. The new approach should be based on the victim's statement. In case the victim is not ready to speak up the truth and there is a lack of evidence, the officers leave without making an arrest. Likewise, the approaches can be like to improve IPV screening, documentation and referral rates in healthcare and make the evidence more effectual for the officers to take an action (Choi & An, 2015). Moreover, the new approaches must be more instant and factual so that the rate for domestic violence can be minimized.

References

“NCADV National Coalition against Domestic Violence”. (2019). Ncadv.org. Retrieved 8 April 2019, from https://ncadv.org/statistics

Choi, Y. J., & An, S. (2016). Interventions to improve responses of helping professionals to intimate partner violence: A quick scoping review. Research on social work practice, 26(1), 101-127.

Corpp, D. (2016). Understanding domestic violence calls and tips for a safe response. Police One. Retrieved 8 April 2019, from https://www.policeone.com/investigations/articles/234792006-Understanding-domestic-violence-calls-and-tips-for-a-safe-response/

Lissner, C. (2018). US Domestic Violence Murder Rate Rises. OZY. Retrieved 8 April 2019, from https://www.ozy.com/acumen/us-domestic-violence-murder-rate-rises/89868