Approaches and opportunities for ending law enforcement related domestic violence
A new book chapter by Institute for Family Violence Studies Director Karen Oehme and social work doctoral candidate Stephanie Grace Prost highlights methods to prevent officer-involved domestic violence. “Preventing officer-involved domestic violence: Leadership challenges and opportunities” in Stress in Police: Sources, consequences, and intervention highlights the multi-faceted impact of stress, trauma, post-traumatic stress, substance use, and other mental health concerns on law enforcement, as well as the many consequences of domestic violence in law enforcement families. The harm caused by domestic violence is only exacerbated when committed by law enforcement officers—the very public servants entrusted with preventing such crimes.
The authors note that certain risk factors within the context of criminal justice or law enforcement contribute to or exacerbate the risk of violence, including general strain, post-traumatic stress, mental health issues like depression and substance abuse, and authoritarian spillover—the way law enforcement officers may carry over their roles of authority and power at work into their personal lives. Within the chapter, the authors further report that despite these risk factors, law enforcement professionals report low usage of employee assistance programs and their services.
Oehme and Prost’s examination of the research surrounding officer-involved domestic violence (OIDV) revealed a complex picture that included conflicting results, but revealing the existence of a higher rate of domestic violence perpetrated by officers than that of the general population. However, under-reporting of these incidents is likely and remains a significant concern. The so-called “blue wall,” the invisible barrier between the civilian and law enforcement worlds, has been observed to reinforce a code of silence on issues like these, fortifying the under-reporting of domestic violence involving law enforcement.
Victims of OIDV face complex issues, that involve barriers not faced in other domestic violence situations. Many of these barriers stem from officers’ unique proficiency with weaponry, self-defense, navigation of the criminal justice system, and surveillance techniques.
Jim Akin, Executive Director for the National Association of Social Workers Florida Chapter noted in the October issue of the NASWNews that the partnerships formed by Karen Oehme as the executive director of the College of Social Work’s Institute for Family Violence Studies (IFVS) with law enforcement organizations are not only appropriate, but vital. Just one example is the IFVS Law Enforcement Family Partnership that was designed to prevent and end domestic violence in the homes of criminal justice officers. He noted that social workers often work in correctional institutions and work frequently with law enforcement in the areas of substance abuse, mental health, and training. Akin also confirmed the future challenges stressed in Oehme and Prost’s chapter for victim assistance and crisis intervention.
Oehme and Prost report that within the law enforcement and criminal justice culture, there exists great respect for a strong chain of command. Therefore, leadership has the opportunity to shift the culture toward violence prevention, wellness, and accountability. The authors suggested leaders should work to model behavior and expectations in their agencies and that clearly set policies must be established and incorporated throughout the law enforcement culture. Such changes at the local level are best made through training and continuing education curricula that emphasize wellness.
Among the growing array of tools being developed to tackle these issues, the Institute for Family Violence Studies has developed a National Prevention Toolkit on Officer-Related Domestic Violence available free and online. Other violence prevention resources are also available on the IFVS website.