Many law enforcement agencies worldwide lack the training opportunities, tools, and support needed to effectively address the crimes of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and strangulation. Responses to these crimes might possibly receive less attention and resources than other crimes due to social misunderstandings and misperceptions about trauma and the realities of crime victims and perpetrators. Nonetheless, these crimes need to be identified, addressed, and prioritized with the same dedication and focus as other major crimes.

To support agencies and contribute to the fundamental changes needed to transform organizational policies, priorities, and efforts, the IACP, with the support of OVW, developed an ongoing comprehensive training and technical assistance program for various ranks of law enforcement, as well as community and criminal justice system partners. This program has been operating continuously to serve law enforcement leaders since 2001.

The crimes of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and strangulation are complex and multifaceted. They often occur simultaneously within the same relationship and might be perpetrated by offenders who have committed or will commit child abuse, economic abuse, pet abuse, protection order and firearms violations, trafficking, and other significant crimes. Recent research and programs have increased the awareness and understanding of these crimes, enabling IACP to better equip law enforcement with the innovative tools and contemporary understanding necessary to respond more effectively to victims and offenders. By conducting thorough, comprehensive investigations, law enforcement can make a significant impact on the safety not only of victims, but also of the entire community by sending a strong message that these crimes will not be tolerated. The IACP has created numerous resources and tools that are available to agencies at no cost to support law enforcement’s efforts to address domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and strangulation.

Response and Training Guidelines

Sexual Assault Response Policy and Training Guidelines and Intimate Partner Violence Response Policy and Training Guidelines provide essential background material and supporting details to equip law enforcement agencies with information needed to develop up-to-date policies and training curricula that can then be tailored to the requirements and circumstances of their own communities and agencies. The guideline documents include investigative procedures and promising practices for working with victims of sexual and intimate partner violence, as well as policy recommendations that address various levels of law enforcement response, from dispatch to supervisors. Additionally, these guidelines present suggested content for training curriculum development that should accompany the implementation of new or updated policies.

Domestic Violence Training Video

The Crime of Domestic Violence is a four-part training video that presents viewers with information to strengthen the response to victims and comprehensively investigate domestic violence. The video presents an introduction into the nuances and dynamics of domestic violence and provides strategies for effective investigations. It is accompanied by a discussion guide to assist agencies facilitate group discussion among personnel about the information contained in the video and its practical application in the agency’s jurisdiction.

Executive Guide

Sexual Offenses and Misconduct by Law Enforcement: Executive Guide presents strategies for law enforcement to address criminal offenses as well as non-criminal sexual conduct that is inappropriate, unprofessional, and damaging to the public’s confidence in an agency and the profession. The guide provides information for executives to assist them in proactively addressing these issues and preventing incidents through agency mission, policy, and training.

Body-Worn Camera Considerations Brochure

Intimate Partner Violence: Body-Worn Camera Program Considerations is a brochure that compiles the deliberations from a multidisciplinary, national forum on creating victim-focused body-worn camera policies and programs. Law enforcement agencies are encouraged to use this brochure, as well as the full deliberations document, as their body-worn camera programs are updated or created and to engage in discussions on body-worn cameras and their impact on victim and officer safety, specific populations, and community trust.

Supervisor Report Review Checklists

These five checklists provide guidance for supervisors as they review reports for stalking, strangulation, sexual assault, domestic violence, and protection order violations. The checklists can also be used as training tools to highlight the information needed by first responders to complete thorough reports, effectively interview victims, and determine whether pertinent information has been documented.

The IACP also offers a series of ongoing training events to provide direct interactions with subject matter experts to assist agencies in effectively addressing domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and strangulation agency wide. These highly interactive training experiences incorporate innovative IACP tools and provide participants with detailed information regarding promising practices, research, and resources. Participants use what they’ve learned to formulate plans for changing the culture within their agencies and effectively deploying strategies to proactively respond to and investigate domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and strangulation. The ongoing training series includes the following:

• National Law Enforcement Leadership Institute on Violence Against Women is an opportunity for law enforcement executives to assess their agency’s current response to crimes of violence against women and identify strategies to improve their ability to meet the needs of the community.
• National Law Enforcement First-Line Supervisor Training on Violence Against Women is for individuals who hold primary responsibility of overseeing first responders, to explore current approaches for responding to and investigating the crimes of violence against women and enhance mentoring and supervisory capacity.
• Enhancing the Response to Violence Against Women On-Site Training Events provide tailored presentations and training curricula to increase the capacity of law enforcement agencies and partners to respond to victims of violence against women crimes.

Each resource and training event provides law enforcement agencies and multidisciplinary community partners with information to build or strengthen victim-focused, trauma-informed responses to the crimes of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and strangulation. ♦

Please cite as

Michael Rizzo, “Strengthening Law Enforcement’s Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence,” IACP Working for You, The Police Chief (February 2018): 32–34.