NCJ Number
163762
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 63 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1996) Pages: 32-35,54-55,58
Date Published
1996
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article consists of sections written by various representatives of police departments, who describe what their departments are doing to counter domestic violence.
Abstract
The Louisville Division of Police (Kentucky) has developed a network of cooperation with the local spouse abuse center and the county prosecutor's office to provide an aggressive law enforcement approach to domestic violence cases. The Columbus Division of Police (Ohio) has taken effective steps to ensure that Ohio's 1994 tough domestic violence law is enforced. The law has made arrest the "preferred course of action" in situations where there is probable cause to believe domestic violence has occurred. The Duluth Police Department (Minnesota) has a policy toward domestic violence that includes a number of components, the most important of which is mandatory arrest of offenders when certain conditions exist. The Tampa Police Department (Florida) has a three-pronged strategy to counter domestic violence: a strong preferred-arrest policy, the use of specially trained domestic violence investigators, and training for all officers. "Zero tolerance" for domestic violence is the policy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (Florida); and the Princeton Borough Police Department (New Jersey) has responded to the rapid increase in domestic violence among newly immigrated families, primarily from Central America. A major component of this approach is to provide an informational pamphlet to immigrant groups that explains prohibited behavior under the law, as well as the consequences of committing a domestic violence offence. The University City Police Department (Missouri) integrates police responses to domestic violence into a community-policing philosophy, primarily through specialized training in the nature of and appropriate police responses to domestic violence.