By Dr. Ron Wallace, American Military University
In Public Safety
It is important for criminal justice professionals, especially those who work within the community or have regular interactions with the public, to know how to recognize domestic violence (also referred to as intimate partner violence) and how to assist victims.
Police officers are often the first to enter what could potentially be a case of domestic violence. When responding to a disturbance, an officer must be able to not only recognize instances of domestic violence, but also sort out the victim from the perpetrator. While on the surface this might seem like a simple task, it is not uncommon for both parties to claim victimization in an attempt to avoid arrest. Officers must ask specific and pointed questions to determine what happened at the scene.
Minneapolis Study Sought Most Effective Deterrent to Domestic Violence
The city of Minneapolis conducted an experiment in the early 1980s to determine how law enforcement handled domestic violence calls. Known as the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment, researchers Lawrence W. Sherman and Richard A. Berk used a lottery system to assign response tactics to officers responding to domestic violence calls.
Full story: Training Police to Recognize Domestic Violence
