Recommendations for Addressing Domestic Violence by Police Officers

This report, written as a memorandum to the Chief of the LAPD by a Domestic Violence Officer, addresses the concerning issue of domestic violence perpetrated by police officers within the department. The report highlights the gravity of the situation, emphasizing that law enforcement officers, who are tasked with protecting citizens, are instead engaging in acts of abuse. The author expresses dismay and proposes several recommendations to address the issue. These recommendations include the immediate implementation of a stringent policy specifically designed to handle domestic violence cases involving police officers. The policy should outline punitive measures exceeding those for civilian offenders, reflecting the officers' duty to protect, not harm. The report also acknowledges potential challenges in dealing with such cases, such as denial from officers and the need for extensive evidence gathering. Suggested procedures for first responders and precautions to be taken are also detailed. The report emphasizes the importance of legal support and understanding how the department can prevent future incidents, concluding with a call for proactive measures to restore the department's reputation and ensure officers' lawful conduct both on and off duty.

Running head: ISSUES IN CRITICAL JUSTICE
Issues in Critical Justice
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
Domestic violence is a serious issue in the United States of America, with acts of
domestic violence being perpetrated in almost every American state on a daily basis. What is
even more disturbing is the fact is that police officers are seen to be engaging in acts of
domestic violence at home, which is alarming to accept and deal with, given that law
enforcement officers are to protect people and not abuse them. This report prepares a
memorandum that is sent to the chief officer of the LAPD by a domestic violence officer
working there outlining recommendations that ought to be considered and implemented to
deal with acts of violence that are committed by the police officers of the department.
To – [e-mail]
Subject – Perpetration of Acts of Domestic Violence by LAPD Police Officers
Dear Matt,
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to you out of an impending sense of
concern regarding some of the domestic violence cases that have been reported to me and
which I have been handling of late. It has come to my knowledge that at least three of the
domestic violence cases that I am currently looking into are cases where the acts of domestic
violence have been initiated by police officers working at our very own LAPD. This
knowledge has left me dismayed and baffled at the same time, given that I never expected
such atrocities to be committed by our law enforcement officers, who are supposed to be
protecting people instead of abusing them, let alone their wives at home. After having given
the situation my thought, I decided to let you know of some of the recommendations that I

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have in mind, and which you ought to consider implementing in order to make sure that these
atrocities are never perpetrated again by our police officers. I have listed these below.
1. Immediate Need for a Policy for Dealing with Acts of Violence by Police Officers
A policy needs to be put in place by the LAPD immediately for dealing with acts of
violence that are committed by police officers. The policy for dealing with such acts of
atrocities should outline punitive measures that are far more stringent than the punitive
measures meant to be undertaken against other perpetrators of domestic violence, given the
fact that it is the duty and the responsibility of police officers to protect victims of domestic
violence and not perpetrate such acts in the first place (Blair et al., 2016). If law enforcement
officers are found to be engaging in acts of violence against their partners at home, it is a
matter of shame, and such officers should not only be terminated from their duties
immediately but should also have harsh punitive measures taken against them, all of which
will be well outlined and detailed in the policy that is drawn up for this purpose (Carmody,
2018). The policy for dealing with acts of violence by policy officers should be absolutely
airtight. There should be no loopholes in the policy that police officers can take advantage of
in order to justify their violent acts. All new officers who join the LAPD should be made to
sign this policy at the time of swearing in so that they are aware of the fact that the terms and
conditions of the policy apply to their code of conduct for as long as they are hired at the
LAPD (DeGue et al., 2016).
2. Explanation of the Challenges that could be faced with Dealing with Such Cases
There are many challenges that are likely to arise when dealing with cases of domestic
violence that are committed by police officers. First and foremost, it could be difficult to
accept that many of our police officers are committing acts of domestic violence when they
return home although they are protecting people and enforcing the law throughout the day.

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Many of our police officers are high ranking officers and have received several laurels for the
noble performance of their duties. It could be a real challenge for the administration to accept
that these are the same people who could be guilty of acts of domestic violence and taking
punitive action against them would be a very difficult thing to do for the administration of the
LAPD (Messing & Campbell, 2016).
Another major challenge that we are likely to face when taking stringent action
against our officers who are guilty of committing acts of domestic violence is the fact that
such officers may vehemently deny that they are responsible for such behavior and we may
have to go all out and seek all sorts of physical evidence in order to prove the same against
our officers, something that is going to be traumatizing and challenging for both the
administration and the police officers. In the event that the evidence points to them having
actually committed these acts of domestic violence, the police officers will have to be
released from their duties and in the bargain we will end up losing a number of efficient and
effective members of our workforce (Robinson et al., 2016).
3. Suggested Procedures for the First Responders
The first responders are to be made to first file a complaint with us, outlining what it
is that has been done to them and how they would like us to proceed with the matter. If the
first responders are willing to provide immediate physical evidence of the violence that they
have been subjected to, then they shall be allowed to do so. After the complaints have been
formally registered, we will take up the matter case by case and call in the concerned police
officers for questioning. If denial is something that the officers take course to then further in
depth investigations shall be carried out and once all evidence is procured that proves the
officers guilty, we will be left with no choice but to pursue immediate punitive action against
the police officers (Robinson et al., 2016).

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4. Precautions to be Taken in Such Cases
Dealing with an iron hand with members of our police force who are seen to be
committing acts of violence is not going to be a pleasant affair. We are going to be faced with
many emotional arguments, given that many of our officers are not going to take it well if
they are released from their duties because of the domestic violence they engage in. It is
important to remain calm and composed when handling such cases and it is also imperative to
reach out to as much legal support as possible if we are to follow the right course of action in
this respect. We need to be serviced by an efficient team of lawyers and legal experts who
will provide us with the guidance that we need should we have to take matters to court
(Carmody, 2018).
5. Understanding how the Department can prevent Violence by Police Officers
Our department is presently serviced by forty police officers. It is imperative for us to
immediately draw up and circulate the policy for dealing with acts of violence committed by
police officers so that our department police officers are aware of the seriousness of the
matter and are also aware of the type of punitive action that is likely to be taken against them
if they are found to be guilty of domestic violence. The police officers of the department need
to be made to understand that their jobs are going to be at stake if they are found to be
engaging in domestic violence at home, given the fact that they are law enforcement officers
and ought to be abiding the law instead of violating and abusing the law (Blair et al., 2016).
Conclusion
Thus, it is important to note that domestic violence is an act that can never be
condoned especially when it is carried out by a law enforcement officer. It is a shame that we
are now faced with reports and instances of our police officers committing acts of domestic

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violence and I propose that we put the policy for dealing with such acts, in place
immediately, so that we can recover the reputation of the department and ensure that our
police officers are as lawful at home as they are when performing their duties out on the
streets.
With my thanks and best wishes,
Jenny Davidson
Domestic Violence Officer
Los Angeles Police Department

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References
Blair, J. M., Fowler, K. A., Jack, S. P., & Crosby, A. E. (2016). The national violent death
reporting system: overview and future directions. Injury prevention, 22(Suppl 1), i6-
i11.
Carmody, D. C. (2018). Mixed messages: Images of domestic violence on" reality"
television. In Entertaining crime (pp. 159-174). Routledge.
DeGue, S., Fowler, K. A., & Calkins, C. (2016). Deaths due to use of lethal force by law
enforcement: findings from the National Violent Death Reporting System, 17 US
states, 2009–2012. American journal of preventive medicine, 51(5), S173-S187.
Messing, J. T., & Campbell, J. (2016). Informing collaborative interventions: Intimate partner
violence risk assessment for front line police officers. Policing: A Journal of Policy
and Practice, 10(4), 328-340.
Robinson, A. L., Pinchevsky, G. M., & Guthrie, J. A. (2016). Under the radar: policing non-
violent domestic abuse in the US and UK. International journal of comparative and
applied criminal justice, 40(3), 195-208.
Robinson, A. L., Pinchevsky, G. M., & Guthrie, J. A. (2018). A small constellation: risk
factors informing police perceptions of domestic abuse. Policing and society, 28(2),
189-204.