🚔 When responding to a DV call…
Get your mind right. These are dangerous calls. Consider your tactics.
- Get information from Communications
- Approach
- Making initial contact
- Entering the premises
- Departing
🚩 Critical Paths
- Has a crime been committed?
- Is there a dating relationship?
🔍 While investigating
- I’m looking for certain things to determine whether there is evidence of domestic violence.
- If there are, who is the predominant aggressor?
While interviewing suspects
- Remain vigilante and don’t get fooled by appearances.
- Consider the motives and mindset of abusers.
While interviewing potential victims
- Do I see any indicators of abusive behavior. To be persuasive, I need consider their perspective.
- Do they make any statements about children consistent with the impact of DV on children?
✅ Take one of the following actions…
- Document the encounter.
- Encourage a temporary separation.
- Refer them to resources.
- Provide safety planning advice.
- Advise people on how to take out a DVPO or Civil No-Contact order. 📄 I may need to describe for them what the process looks like.
- Transport to a DV service provider?
- Charge for a crime