Police Week

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May 16th through the 21st is Police week.  It is during this week that we reflect upon the importance of law enforcement and the essential role that officers play in our safety and protection.  This is particularly true in regards to calls for service in a domestic violence situation.   When an officer receives a call to a domestic violence incident, they are walking into the most emotionally charged and volatile situation relative to any other call they’ll receive.  The officer must respond with very little information regarding the issue that gave rise to the dispute if any, the aggressor’s history and predisposition towards violence, whether weapons are present and/or what state he/she may find the victim in.  In addition to this highly emotional state, drugs or alcohol are often involved, thus reducing an abuser's threshold for logical reasoning, creating a gravely dangerous state of affairs.   According to the FBI in 2009, of the 57,268 officers assaulted while performing their duties, the largest percentage -- 32.6 percent -- were assaulted while responding to disturbance calls and every year since has remained above a 30 percent threshold.  Officers are responding to an unpredictable situation and are putting their lives on the line when doing so.   It is for this reason that we celebrate the integral role of law enforcement in the fight against domestic violence.   

We recognize that police are usually the first contact that a victim will have on their journey free from abuse.  We recognize that during that call, they are asked to be counselors, mediators, investigators, protectors, and, in the most violent situations, the first to provide first aid on scene.   While we also recognize that the system is not perfect; it is filled with officers of great integrity and valor that go above and beyond their call of duty.  We recognize the great contribution of these men and women and we strive to work hand-in-hand in a coordinated community effort to end these patterns of violence.  

Written by Jamie G.
Legal Assistant

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