Former Police Chief Talks about Fighting Domestic Violence
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Read more: http://emilyslist.org/blog/Fighting_Domestic_Violence_as_Law_Enforcement/
By Val Demings
For much of our history, domestic violence was viewed not as a matter for law enforcement but as a personal or family matter. Because of that communities often stood by while women were being hurt or murdered. Finally, those laws have changed. Today, my former police department in Orlando has a zero tolerance policy on domestic violence. If you batter your significant other you will be arrested and you will go to jail.
What I always go back to are the raw numbers that explain how this tragic crisis hurts everyone it touches. For example, did you know that by the time you’re finished reading this blog a woman will have been beaten? And those are just the victims we KNOW about. These are the women and men who are brave enough to call the police and press charges. Twenty-five percent of all physical assaults, 50 percent of all stalking, and 20 percent of all rapes against women by intimate partners ARE reported to the police. So, you know the inverse of these numbers reflects that far too many crimes that go unreported.
Domestic violence crosses all ages, races, and economic backgrounds and continues to be a problem that all communities must work to stop. As Orlando Police Chief I was so proud of our officers who worked with our local shelters, not merely to help victims, but to be trained on the best way to work with victims to ensure offenders were brought to justice.
Read more here:
http://emilyslist.org/blog/Fighting_Domestic_Violence_as_Law_Enforcement/
By Val Demings
For much of our history, domestic violence was viewed not as a matter for law enforcement but as a personal or family matter. Because of that communities often stood by while women were being hurt or murdered. Finally, those laws have changed. Today, my former police department in Orlando has a zero tolerance policy on domestic violence. If you batter your significant other you will be arrested and you will go to jail.
What I always go back to are the raw numbers that explain how this tragic crisis hurts everyone it touches. For example, did you know that by the time you’re finished reading this blog a woman will have been beaten? And those are just the victims we KNOW about. These are the women and men who are brave enough to call the police and press charges. Twenty-five percent of all physical assaults, 50 percent of all stalking, and 20 percent of all rapes against women by intimate partners ARE reported to the police. So, you know the inverse of these numbers reflects that far too many crimes that go unreported.
Domestic violence crosses all ages, races, and economic backgrounds and continues to be a problem that all communities must work to stop. As Orlando Police Chief I was so proud of our officers who worked with our local shelters, not merely to help victims, but to be trained on the best way to work with victims to ensure offenders were brought to justice.
Read more here:
http://emilyslist.org/blog/Fighting_Domestic_Violence_as_Law_Enforcement/
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