Police Officers Who Commit Intimate Partner Violence: A Routine Activity Approach

• In Event: Policing, Domestic Violence, and Football

Abstract

Several criminological theories formulated to explain criminal behavior have been applied to intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrated by police officers. However, no study has utilized victimization theories such as routine activity theory to examine this social issue. This study examines the efficacy of routine activity theory using data from the Police Stress and Domestic Violence in Police Families in Baltimore, Maryland, 1997-1999. The study finds that elements of offender motivation predicted the probability of police officers perpetrating IPV towards their intimate partners, regardless of the number of children living at their homes serving as capable guardians. The implications of the findings, as well as areas for future research, are discussed.

Authors

• Egbert Zavala, University of Texas at El Paso

• Lisa A. Melander, Kansas State University