The Impact of Nuisance Ordinances on the Reporting of Intimate Partner Violence to the Police - CANCELLED

• In Event: Intimate Partner Violence Prevention and Victim Services

Abstract

Nuisance property ordinances have been enacted in many municipalities across the United States. A residential property is labeled as a nuisance when the police respond to calls for service at the address on multiple occasions over a defined time period. Property owners must abate the nuisance or face penalties such as the costs of responding to police calls or the loss of rental permits. Researchers have found that to evade penalties, property owners may evict tenants or refuse to renew leases, and victims of domestic violence are especially vulnerable. Although some municipalities have excluded domestic violence calls as a potential nuisance activity, little empirical work has been done to examine the impact of such laws on the police response to intimate partner violence. In this study, we examine the impact of local nuisance ordinances on police reports of intimate partner violence in several municipalities in one state.

Authors

• Courtney Fisher, University of Massachusetts Lowell

• Adam Harrington, Terris, Pravlik &Millian, LLC

• April Pattavina, University of Massachusetts Lowell