Victims of police officers typically report that advocates don't appreciate how different their situation is because the abuser is in law enforcement. It is disappointing and frustrating for a victim to have to educate the very people whom she had hoped would be able to inform her. To begin to alleviate this problem, advocates can familiarize themselves with aspects of police-perpetrated abuse that place the police victim in a category of her own.
Society grants members of law enforcement enormous power over citizens to enable the police to keep the peace and to preserve social order. They are granted a great deal of freedom to use their judgment regarding which laws to enforce, when and against whom. This wide range of options and authority can lead to the abuse of their power. Some police officers come to see themselves not as simply enforcers of the law, but as the law itself....
Every abuser frequently reminds his victim that it is within his power to deprive her of her physical safety, security, privacy, freedom and life if and when he chooses. Most abusers, however, are not able to enlist the help of the criminal justice system to carry out their threats. Batterers within law enforcement are. Officers tell their victim, “Call the police. Who are they going to believe?”....
There is great systemic resistance against prosecuting an officer. If a victim decides to file a criminal complaint, she will have to present an extremely compelling story to the police and state's attorney to counter their reluctance to pursue the complaint. She will have to be able to convey that, in addition to common forms of abuse, the abuser exploited his professional status and power to control and to terrorize her. Advocates working with these victims must be knowledgeable not only about the general dynamics of domestic violence but also about police-perpetrated domestic violence tactics and the workings of the criminal justice system....
Working with victims of officer-involved domestic violence has made us acutely aware that the standard remedies are often inadequate and may even leave the victim more vulnerable. We need to rethink our strategies on many different levels. Because this issue is so complex, we need to educate ourselves and other community providers before we can hope to adequately serve this special population.
Interested in learning more? This article and "Developing Policy on Officer-Involved Domestic Violence" is in our booklet, "Advocate & Officer Dialogues: Police-Perpetrated Domestic Violence." You can buy this booklet now!
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