Scenario
A neighbor calls the police because the people next door are having in police parlance a "family beef". The caller says that she can hear screaming and glass breaking. She says that this has happened before and she wants the noise to stop. The police know this address; they have been to the house before. Four officers are dispatched to the address. Parking down the street they walk quietly up to the front door and listen. There is loud screaming. The officers knock and the screaming stops. No one comes to the door. The officers knock again and announce themselves. This time, a man answers the door. The officers ask what is going on and the man replies "nothing" Then he adds that he and his girlfriend were arguing over putting new sheets on their bed and that the police are not needed. The house smells of alcohol and two small children can be heard crying in the next room. The officer, who has been to the house before, asks to talk with the woman. The man says that she is fine and that there is no need for her to come to the door. The officer tells the man that if the woman does not come to the door, he is coming into the house. The man hollers for the women to "get over here and tell these cops you're OK". The woman comes to the door. The officers can tell that she is frightened, that her blouse is torn and that she has visible scratches. The officer tells the couple that they were making too much noise and that they need to hold it down. The couple says nothing and the officers shake their heads and leave. Forty minutes later, the police are called to the same house over the same complaint---too much noise. The same previous scene repeats itself; however, this time the woman has a cut on her arm. The man tells the police that she fell down. The police tell the man not to hurt her, and that they don't want to return again tonight. The man says nothing and the officers leave.
Source of Scenario: Butzer et al. (1996). The Role fof Police in Combating Domestic Violence in the United States: A Case Study of the Domestic Violence Reduction Unit, Portland Police Bureau. Retrived fromhttps://www.ncjrs.gov/policing/role161.htm
1. Based on your review of the Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence: A Law Enforcement Officer's Guide to Enforcing Orders of Protection Nationwide (https://www.theiacp.org/portals/0/pdfs/ProtectingVictimsOfDV.pdf) , what should the goal of the police officer in this situation be? Be sure to include the myths and reality of intimate partner violence.
2. Do you think that Police Officers should be trained on Domestic Violence Issues?
3. What do you think are some of the challenges (personal as well as professional) that Police Officers may have in intervening in domestic violence episodes.