Abstract
Research was conducted to determine the prevalence and specific provisions of policies regarding officer-involved domestic violence. First, a national sample of 78 large police agencies was surveyed, and 23 agencies (29%) indicated that they had such a specific policy. However, a number of factors suggests that this estimate is probably artificially high. Second, a total of 22 policies was analyzed with a coding structure based on the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Model Policy. The policies varied widely in their scope, focus, and specific provisions. The most common elements were that a supervisor be immediately notified and that officers have a duty to report knowledge of domestic violence involving themselves or other employees. Most policies included very few of the provisions from the model developed by the IACP.
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