Since 1983, as an advocate for battered women, I have listened to women's stories and tried to appreciate the uniqueness of every woman's life. As I listened to victims of police officer batterers, I recognized that they were describing their lives in the context of a particular culture — the police culture. Women referred to the police family and explained that being the wife or girlfriend of a police officer means abiding by that culture's rules: "What happens in the family stays in the family, and what happens in the police family stays in the police family." Every victim told of being warned by her abuser that if she interfered with his career she would pay dearly.
Victims were afraid to talk to anyone who might report them to the police. The assurance that we were independent advocates who were not required to share information with the police was vital.
In my early experience working with victims of police officers, I would launch into my standard explanation of domestic violence laws and provisions for police response, shelter and protective orders. Each woman reacted with frustration that the information I was giving might work for other women, but would not work for her because most options were based on the cooperation of the police and the courts — systems on which she could not rely.
As an advocate, you may be the only source of support and information for the victim of a police officer. It is your responsibility to learn about police culture, address the issue of police domestic violence with local departments, and search for creative remedies that decrease the victim's vulnerability and risk.
I have learned that domestic violence within police ranks is a litmus test of law enforcement's commitment to public safety. If it looks the other way when violence against a woman is perpetrated by one of their own, no woman in that community, or our wider society, can count on police protection.
Police-perpetrated domestic violence brings us face to face with the challenges inherent in institutional reform work. It puts us on notice that we need to reclaim and hold our ground as independent advocates who monitor systems from outside, while attempting to build meaningful partnerships to change the response from within.
When the Batterer Is a Law Enforcement Officer: Guide for Advocates
Police Domestic Violence Victim Handbook
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