Law Enforcement

FCADV recognizes that law enforcement officers play a critical role in responding to domestic violence calls.  A victim’s initial contact with officers is more likely to occur after s/he has experienced multiple incidents of violence at the hands of the perpetrator. Historically, the criminal justice system’s involvement with victims and perpetrators began only after serious injury and after a pattern of abuse had been well established. Today, law enforcement officers have more tools than ever to enhance the safety of victims and to hold perpetrators accountable for their violence.

The FCADV, the Florida Police Chiefs Association, and the Florida Sheriffs Association are working together to provide tools and resources to assist law enforcement officers in responding effectively to domestic violence. FCADV’s Advanced Law Enforcement Training emphasizes evidence based prosecution and seeks to focus on the crime and its impact, without relying on the victim’s participation in the prosecution. A victim may not feel safe to participate in the prosecution because of threats made by the perpetrator. Danger for victims often escalates when s/he pursues legal remedies through the criminal justice system. Evidence based prosecution of domestic violence cases relies on the prosecution of the offender without testimony from most or all of the key witnesses. Instead, the attention is placed on gathering alternative forms of evidence including, but not limited to, excited utterances, photographs, 911 calls, and other important forms of evidence.

For more information about FCADV’s Advanced Law Enforcement Training, or about the resources on this page, contact the Law Enforcement Training Coordinator at (850) 425-2749.

Photographing Domestic Violence Evidence

Photographic evidence collection is a critical and very powerful tool during the investigation of domestic violence crimes. When physical injuries are evident to an officer who responds to a domestic violence call, photographic documentation of those injuries will assist in the prosecution of the batterer, without the victim’s direct testimony.

• Photographing Domestic Violence Evidence-Guidelines
• Video: Photographing Domestic Violence Evidence

Additional Resources

• Video: Risk Assessment Training for Law Enforcement
• Video: Excited Utterances – Law Enforcement Training
• Video: Use of Body-Worn Cameras for Law Enforcement
• Video: 911 Operators: Handling A Domestic Call For Service

Related Links

• National Institute of Justice: Digital Evidence & Forensics
• International Association of Chiefs of Police (I.A.C.P.): Bringing Sexual Assault Offenders to Justice Video
  
•  I.A.C.P. Investigative Strategies and Supplemental Report 
• Police Response to DV – Reference Card
• Stalking Resource Center: A Program of the National Center for Victims of Crime
  
• Stalking Resource Center: A Program of the National Center for Victims of Crime, ‘The Use of Technology To Stalk’
• Responding To Domestic Violence, Model Policy Number Two For Florida Law Enforcement
• Florida’s Model Policy on Officer-Involved Domestic Violence
• Responding To Sexual Violence, Model Policy Number Two For Florida Law Enforcement
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