Policing, Perceptions, and the Implementation of Domestic Violence Policy

• In Event: Roundtable: Sexual Violence

Abstract

Abuse between partners in an intimate or romantic relationship is a persistent problem within the United States and the consequences are far-reaching. Domestic violence calls to police departments are more common than all other violent crimes combined, with some estimates suggesting 70% of all calls for service are domestic violence related. This work-in-progress paper draws on in-depth interviews with police officers and ethnographic fieldwork within a large urban police department to examine the relationship between officer perceptions and implementation of domestic violence policies in the field. Preliminary findings suggest that officer perceptions of victims reflect a dichotomy between “real domestic violence victims” and people who are just “working the system.” Further analyses will examine whether these perceptions reproduce gendered and racial stereotypes among domestic violence victims and/or result in differential responses and implementation of domestic violence policy in the field.

Author

• Amanda Admire, University of California, Riverside