Abuse of Power
THE clearinghouse on police-perpetrated domestic violence
Advocates
Personal Note to Advocates: As an advocate, you may be the only source of support and information for the victim of a police officer.
Advocates' Role: The advocate should be the one person who is there solely for the victim, open to exploring any and all options so that she can decide how to best protect her own interests and safety.
Supporting Victim Reporting: Meeting with the batterer’s chief is intimidating. We can provide important support by relaying sound information about how to approach the department and what to expect in response.
Working with Officer Victims: A female officer who is being abused by her intimate partner feels a great deal of pressure to hide what is happening. She knows that disclosure of the abuse will prompt an investigation that may damage her reputation and her career.
Batterer Intervention: When an officer is mandated to counseling, it is likely to be framed as a problem of stress, temper, anger management, or poor impulse control, rather than battering.
Relevant Reading:
When
the Batterer Is a Law Enforcement Officer Guide for Advocates: This
is a comprehensive resource for advocates working with women whose batterers
are in law enforcement. It explores the reasons why familiar remedies are
often inadequate against an officer batterer’s power and
control over the victim and his influence within the criminal justice system.
It includes specific safety considerations and advocacy strategies. (The
complete Guide (96 pgs) is available in PDF format at no charge through the Battered
Women's Justice Project.)
Advocate & Officer Dialogues: Police-Perpetrated Domestic Violence: Two essays, Developing Policy on Officer-Involved Domestic Violence and The Misuse of Police Powers in Officer-Involved Domestic Violence, explore how the tremendous power and authority granted to officers to protect the public can lead to the abuse of their power. Wetendorf and Davis found that solutions good from the department’s perspective can make things worse for the victim; and solutions better for the victim can leave the department open to liability. Their goal is to generate thoughtful consideration among victim advocates and police administrators on the complexities involved in developing policies and providing effective and consistent victim response.
Female Officers as Victims of Police-Perpetrated Domestic Violence: Examines how the expectations and values of the female officer's profession and workplace culture influence her behavior and decisions regarding her abusive relationship.
Police-Perpetrated Domestic Violence: Rather than customizing services for victims of police abusers, we need to expect that the departments have the integrity to hold their own police family members accountable for criminal behavior.
Stacy Peterson Commentary on BWJP Website: Media coverage on the disappearance of Stacy Peterson has been remiss in its failure to highlight former Sergeant Peterson’s profession as a law enforcement officer. Although most reports have noted his profession there has been no analysis addressing his law enforcement experience as a significant aspect of his emerging profile as a serial abuser.