The Houston Police Department’s Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART): The Impact of Program Involvement on Survivor and Police Perceptions

• In Event: Research on Innovative Law Enforcement Responses to Crimes against Vulnerable Victims

Abstract

To address increasing rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and IPV-related homicides, the Houston Police Department developed the Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART). In response to calls for service including known or suspected IPV, HPD dispatches a DART co-responder team which includes both a sworn uniformed officer and a civilian HPD victim service advocate who provides on-scene support to victims and facilitates immediate referrals to community-based services. Based on interviews with IPV survivors who received DART services, DART advocates, DART officers, and non-DART primary responding officers, we explore how engagement with the DART program impacts 1) survivors’ perceptions of law enforcement, and 2) law enforcement officers’ perceptions of responding to IPV-related calls for service. We consider the implications for replication and for police-community relations.

Authors

• Rebecca Pfeffer, RTI International

• Julie Pleasant, Houston Police Department

• Peyton Scalise, RTI International

• Elizabeth Tibaduiza, RTI International

• Kelle Barrick, RTI International