New Report Documents Widespread Police Misconduct and Bias in Domestic Violence Cases

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

New Report Documents Widespread Police Misconduct and Bias in Domestic Violence Cases

WASHINGTON / July 31, 2020 – The Coalition to End Domestic Violence today is releasing a new report on “Misconduct and Sex Bias in Police Response to Domestic Violence.” Based on the report’s findings, the Coalition urges Congressional appropriators to remedy these harmful policies as part of the appropriations bills being debated for FY2021.

The report documents that males are now more likely than women to be victims of domestic violence. But when male victims seek police help, 52% report that law enforcement personnel were “not at all helpful.”

Four domestic violence policies and procedures create sex bias and may represent forms of police misconduct:

Guilt-presuming investigations – Often referred to as “trauma-informed,” such investigative methods “turn unreliable evidence into its opposite.” The use of such methods is a form of police misconduct because they violate ethics codes to conduct investigations that are impartial, objective, and fair (1).
Mandatory arrest – Instituted as a result of Violence Against Women Act program requirements, such policies marginalize victims who want their abusers to get treatment, not a police record. Mandatory arrest policies often violate Fourth Amendment probable cause requirements, as well (2).
Primary aggressor policies – Designed to reduce dual arrests, such policies include factors such as “height and weight of the parties,” which are biased against the male (3).
Biased training – The report identifies numerous examples of police training programs that relied on one-sided or even false information.

Likewise, research by Dr. Emily Douglas found that male victims report responses that were “not at all helpful” from police (56% of male victims), DV agencies (65%), and domestic violence hotlines (69%). (4)

To remedy these long-standing problems, the Coalition to End Domestic Violence calls on Congressional appropriators to direct the Government Accountability Office to undertake surveys to document the extent and effects of these policies. When police or service agencies refuse to assist male domestic violence victims, grant funding levels should be reduced accordingly.

The CEDV report is available online (5).

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