Abuse of Power
THE clearinghouse on police-perpetrated domestic violence
Victims / Survivors of Police & Firefighter Domestic Violence
Safety Planning & Technology: You need extra layers of precaution in your safety plan because your abuser is in law enforcement or the fire service. It's essential that you learn how technology is used in domestic violence and stalking.
Verbal Abuse: Not all abuse is physical violence. Your abuser has received professional training to verbally intimidate and control people. What he says and how he says it can be as effective as a weapon.
They Call Us Bitches: We think for ourselves and act on what we know. We don't need a man's permission to live our lives the way we want to.
Calling 9-1-1: When you dial 911 a chain of events begins that goes far beyond your immediate need for protection.
Shelter Options: Thinking through where you would go if you have to leave is probably the most important part of your safety plan.
Getting Help: Once you decide to ask for help, you will have to tell your story to many people. You only have a short time to make them understand a lifetime of abuse.
Reporting Your Abuser : How and when do you decide to tell the department about your abuser? What do you want the chief to know? What do you hope to accomplish? What could actually happen as a result of your report?
Risks for Family and Friends: As a friend or relative of a woman whose abuser is a firefighter or police officer, you may also be at risk. The abuser can use many of the same professional tactics against you that he uses against his intimate partner.
How to Help: As a family member or friend of a woman being abused, you are afraid for her. You want to support her but you may be confused, frustrated, and also afraid to get involved.
Relevant Reading:
Handbook for Victims: As the victim of a police officer, your situation is very different than that of other victims of domestic violence. If you have ever tried to get help, you may have become discouraged because no one seemed to understand your plight. You are not alone.
Women's Words: Our need to be heard and to be visible is beginning to overcome our fear. We are breaking our silence. We will no longer be invisible. We are not alone.
Police Power and Control Wheel: The tactics of power and control which confront victims of police domestic violence are quite different from those used by civilian batterers.
The
Batterer in Custody and Visitation Disputes: (pdf only)
Lundy
Bancroft covers the post-separation parenting behaviors of men who batter,
including their use of custody litigation as a tool of abuse.
Crossing the Threshold: Female Officers and Police-Perpetrated Domestic Violence: Examines how male police officers' institutional power filters down into their intimate relationships, and why the institution of policing has historically ignored or denied police-perpetrated violence against women. A brief look at the profession's historical treatment of women and minorities provides the background for this analysis of police-perpetrated domestic violence. While focusing on female officers' experience of abuse at the hands of male officers and the institutional response to that abuse, the book is insightful and relevant reading for civilian victims, advocates, attorneys, police supervisors, administrators, chiefs and sheriffs.