The COVID-19 pandemic has affected a broad spectrum of police services and activities around the world, including the ability to meet in person for training events or to receive technical assistance.

Thus, to meet continuing training needs, the IACP has responded with virtual training opportunities. Live webinars have been recorded and are posted online so that officers can watch them when they have time available. In anticipation of Stalking Awareness Month in January, officers and agencies are encouraged to review IACP’s new resources designed to enhance law enforcement’s response to domestic and sexual violence crimes, which frequently co-occur with stalking.

Stalking frequently occurs in domestic violence and sexual assault cases; however, it is often missed because the act alone might not be criminal and the victim might not identify what they experienced as stalking. The ongoing nature of the crime, the history and relationship of those involved, and the co-occurrence of multiple crimes can make these cases difficult for law enforcement to respond to and investigate. However, when equipped with a better understanding of the context and complex dynamics of stalking, law enforcement can more effectively address victims’ needs and hold offenders accountable.

IACP Virtual Domestic Violence & Sexual Violence Resources

The offerings listed here are available at no cost on the IACP website as helpful resources for officers and trainers.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence.

A virtual roundtable on this topic has been recorded and is available online. The IACP also published two additional resources on this topic:

Supporting Victims of Domestic Violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Victims of domestic violence may face an increase in violence and greater barriers to accessing help as stay-at-home orders force them to spend more time with their abuser and physical distancing orders isolate them from support. It is common for victims of domestic violence to also be victims of sexual assault, stalking, and strangulation, as these crimes are often co-occurring and interconnected and reflect tactics that abusers use to maintain power and control. This resource provides information for law enforcement agencies on how to reach and support vulnerable victims of domestic violence who are at increased risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Victims of sexual assault may face greater barriers to reporting crimes, accessing help, and obtaining support during the COVID-19 pandemic due to public health orders such as stay-at-home mandates. To counter the inherent difficulties of a global pandemic, law enforcement agencies can incorporate flexibility and innovation into both current and cold case sexual assault response efforts to ensure they are meeting the complex needs of victims while also maintaining the safety of agency personnel, partners, and community members. Agency leaders should consider the following modified practices outlined in this tool to ensure agency personnel are able to safely perform essential duties related to sexual assault crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Predominant Aggressor Determination

This webinar discusses the importance of determining the predominant aggressor when responding to domestic and intimate partner violence calls, as well as best practices and considerations for how to do so.

Trauma-Informed Sexual Assault Investigation Project

The IACP has developed multiple new resources on how to implement trauma-informed practices when investigating sexual assaults and related crimes.

Successful Trauma-Informed Victim Interviewing: The phrasing of questions during victim interviews is critical. Depending on how a question is asked, victims may perceive the question as placing blame on them for their actions or for their inability to recall certain information. Trauma-informed victim interviewing re-phrases questions in a way that helps victims better retrieve memories, assists law enforcement in gathering more evidence, and supports victims. This approach increases the likelihood that victims will stay engaged in the criminal justice process.

The Impact of Trauma: Trauma-Informed Lens and Response Webinar: This webinar focuses on how traumatic experiences can impact victim memory, reactions, and behavior, and the implications of this for first responders’ and investigators’ interviews and investigations.

Alcohol- and Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Investigations Webinar: This webinar provides investigative strategies that support victims as they recall details of assaults facilitated by alcohol or drugs and that allow investigators to obtain more evidence to better hold perpetrators accountable.

Situation-Specific Webinars

The IACP has developed webinars to address a wide range of elements that may relate to domestic or sexual violence cases, including the following:

• Witness Intimidation discusses what law enforcement needs to know about witness intimidation when working on crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, strangulation, and stalking.
• Removal of Weapons and Firearms from the Hands of DV Offenders discusses what law enforcement needs to know about the removal of weapons and firearms from the hands of perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence.
• Engaging Colleges in Data Collection Recording discusses how police departments can engage colleges and universities in data collection efforts that can, in turn, strengthen law enforcement response to crimes of domestic and sexual violence.
• Law Enforcement and Building Trust with LGBTQI+ Communities discusses how police departments can build trust with LGBTQI+ communities in their jurisdiction in order to increase the reporting of crimes of domestic and sexual violence in these groups.
• Interactions with the Media discusses how police departments can work with the media to deliver victim-centered and trauma-informed messaging to the community, while also working with the media to highlight agency successes in responding to crimes of domestic and sexual violence.

Vicarious Trauma Series

The IACP recognizes that investigating these domestic and sexual violence crimes can take a mental and physical toll on officers. Therefore, the IACP also provides resources and training to address vicarious trauma of agency members.

IACP’s three-part Vicarious Trauma Series discusses strategies related to the work-related trauma exposure that officers can experience when responding to cases of domestic violence and sexual assault, what individuals working on these crimes can do to take care of their mental health and well-being, and what organizations can do to take care of employees’ mental health and well-being in order to mitigate the negative effects of this secondary trauma.

• Vicarious Trauma Series, Part 1—Officers and Vicarious Trauma When Responding to Domestic and Sexual Violence
• Vicarious Trauma Series, Part 2—Individual Strategies to Address Vicarious Trauma
• Vicarious Trauma Series, Part 3—Organizational Strategies to Address Vicarious Trauma

Enhancing response to sexual and domestic violence and the crimes that co-occur with them enables agencies to increase the safety of officers, victims, and their communities and to hold offenders accountable. The IACP is here to provide agencies with the resources, training, and technical assistance necessary to strengthen their response.