Police Abusers And Police-Perpetrated Domestic Violence

Police abusers are skilled in verbal intimidation and degradation. Women tell us their abusers scream at them like they talk to criminals on the street — their voices and faces change; they use filthy street language; they tell the victim she is "just like the scumbags he deals with every day." Some women describe fearing that the abuser has lost touch with reality, that he has forgotten who she is while he is in this rage.
She knows that when the police arrive at the scene and learn that he is a police officer, a shift takes place. The responding officers are now responding not to the victim, but to "an officer in need." Most police departments in the country do not even have a policy addressing the police-perpetrated domestic violence, so
it is the responding officers — the abuser's colleagues — who will be using their discretion as to how to handle the call. The responding officers are likely to try to dissuade her from signing a complaint. They advise her to think about his career, think about all the good things she has, think about their kids. They assure her that he's a good man and a good police officer, that he's just under a lot of stress. They promise to talk to him, to straighten him out.
After receiving permission from the chief of each department, a survey was placed in each officer’s individual mailbox by the researcher. This included a cover letter explaining the purpose of the research, as well as a letter explaining the research was completely voluntary and confidential. A self-addressed stamped envelope was also included so that each officer could return the survey, and so the confidentiality could be protected. The executives at each agency provided information on the total number of sworn personnel: these were the officers who received a survey.