Primary or predominate? Exploring police officers (mis)identification of predominate aggressors in domestic violence complaints

• In Event: Policing Sexual, Domestic, and Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Despite the proliferation of mandatory arrest and predominate aggressor laws in the United States over the last half century, almost no study has examined how patrol officers identify predominate aggressors in domestic violence complaints. The present study uses a random sample of two years of domestic violence complaints reported to a medium sized police department in the Northwestern United States between 2016 and 2017 (N = 200). More specifically, we isolate victim, offender, and situational characteristics associated with officers’ identification of predominant aggressors. Findings and implications for policy and practice will be discussed.

Authors

• Patrick Q Brady, University of Colorado Colorado Springs

• Lisa Growette Bostaph, Boise State University