What is Domestic Violence?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Responding to domestic violence calls is one of the most unpleasant duties for police officers. This is because the highly emotional atmosphere accompanying domestic abuse situations, the raw violence often displayed, the family lives destroyed, and the victim’s frequent hesitancy to prosecute or seek shelter all place a heavy burden on the officers sent to such disturbances.
Response to such calls may be initiated by the dispatcher, who can save hours of legwork by exploring with the victim his or her frame of mind and that of the alleged attacker. Domestic violence calls are complicated in that they may unfold into simple battery, assault, kidnapping, trespassing, murder, stalking, terroristic threats, spousal rape, or many other types of criminal violations.
After officers have entered the location of the domestic violence call and have secured the area, the investigation be- gins. The first rule is to interview the suspect and victim separately. Until a determination has been made as to the nature of the dispute and the relationship between the suspect and victim, the suspect is not under arrest for domestic violence.
In line with the probable cause standard, police officers should arrest all abusers who are not acting in self-defense and issue an arrest warrant even if the offender is absent. A number of states make it mandatory for an officer to make an arrest if there is probable cause, even without an assigned complaint by the victim.
If the assault was a mutual assault (that is, both people involved committed assault), officers must try to determine the primary physical aggressor and arrest that person.