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20 J. Fam. Violence 1 (2005)

handle is hein.journals/jfamv20 and id is 1 raw text is: Journal of Family Violence, Vol. 20, No. 1, February 2005 (© 2005) DOI: 10.1007/s10896-005-1503-5 Special Issue on the Role of Law Enforcement in Domestic Violence Vincent B. Van Hasselt1,2 and Abigail S. Malcolm' The role of law enforcement in the problem of do- mestic violence has been the focus of heightened research activity by a wide range of disciplines (criminology, crim- inal justice, psychology, sociology, epidemiology, and public health) for many years now. This increased atten- tion is attributable to a number of factors beginning with the historical function of police officers as first respon- ders to disparate forms of violence in the home. Indeed, a significant proportion of calls for services received by police agencies involve aggression directed toward an intimate partner. Further, such calls are particularly haz- ardous to the responding officers who must intervene and control highly volatile situations. In the personal experi- ence of one of the authors (VBVH), who is both a clinical psychologist and a certified police officer, dealing with domestic violence in the latter capacity is dramatically different than the former. Most notably, by the time vic- tims of abuse are seen by mental health providers, the physical wounds are healed or less evident, and it is usu- ally possible to deal with victims and perpetrators with a reasonable degree of rationality. This is in sharp contrast to the chaos, clear evidence of injury, and potential for harm encountered by the police officer first arriving at the scene of violence in the home. Further, a burgeoning body of research has exam- ined the degree to which the law enforcement response, specifically arrest of the batterer, affects the likelihood of reoffending. Indeed, this has been an area of great interest and discussion. And the outcomes of such endeavors have had a direct impact on public policy (e.g., widespread prevalence of proarrest policies in domestic violence situations). In addition, a convergence of anecdotal re- ports and research data have documented the disturbing rates of domestic violence by police officers themselves. 'Center for Psychological Studies, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 2To whom correspondence should be addressed at e-mail: vanhasse@ nova.edu. These findings have resulted in legislative initiatives (e.g., Lautenberg Amendment) and large-scale enactment of new police department policies (e.g., Zero-Tolerance) pertaining to domestic violence by one of their own. This Special Issue on the role of law enforcement in domestic violence includes timely articles on several of the key issues in the field today. First, Leanor B. Johnson, Michael Todd, and Ganga Subramanian evaluate the in- terrelationship of several mediating variables linked to domestic violence committed by police officers. These investigators address, for example, how violence expo- sure is associated with domestic violence in this popula- tion. They also discuss the role of burnout, authoritarian spillover, gender, and ethnicity in spouse abuse by police officers. In a case-control study examining reports of intimate partner violence made against police officers, Robyn R. M. Gershon, Michael Tiburzi, and Susan Lin provide statistical evidence for risk factors correlated with accusations of domestic violence directed toward law enforcement personnel. The authors reveal that intimate partner abuse committed by police officers has been historically under-reported, and often viewed as being disproportionately committed by those in minority groups. However, their study indicated that accused officers were more likely to have been assigned to districts with higher crime rates. Moreover, their own ethnicity was not a factor in these cases. Using the FBI's Hostage Barricade Database Sys- tem, Vincent B. Van Hasselt, John J. Flood, Stephen J. Romano, Gregory M. Vecchi, Nathalie de Fabrique, and Vincent A. Dalfonzo conducted one of the first investiga- tions of domestic violence police calls that escalated to hostage/barricade situations. Their report provides illus- trations and examines significant factors (e.g., possession of deadly weapon, prior history of domestic violence, and communication established with negotiator) and event outcomes (e.g., murder of spouse, negotiated resolution) in five cases of hostage taking in violent homes. 1 0885-7482/05/0200-0001/0 © 2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

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