Domestic Violence: Deadly for Women and Police Officers

During Domestic Violence Awareness Month we wanted to highlight the ripple effects that domestic violence has at the community level, particularly, how it effects police officers who respond to those types of situations. This is not to draw attention away from the victims, but to help amplify the case for us as a society to simply put…do better. Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of violent crime in the U.S and 19% of those situations involve a weapon of some sort.

Statistics Show That Officers Get Injured More Often During A Domestic Violence Call

Statistically speaking, when an officer responds to a domestic violence call, the odds of them getting hurt or killed are higher than in most other situations. In 2017, more officers were shot responding to a domestic violence call, than any other type of firearm fatality.

One study from the Dolan Consulting Group took data from FBI statistics between 1980 and 2006. They found that 113,236 officer assaults occurred in the U.S. and 160 officers died when responding to calls regarding a domestic violence altercation.

The Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (Cops) found that officers were more likely to be killed when they were responding to a domestic dispute than any other type of call they received. And in a country where on any given day the domestic violence hotline receives over 20,000 calls, you can imagine the number of calls the 911 operators receive.

Officers Are the Initial Source of Support for Victims of Domestic Violence

Police officers are the key frontline services that victims can use to prevent and stop intimate partner abuse. They provide practical support, such as helping change security locks on doors, giving victims mobile phones, or putting a “marker” on a house so that other officers in the area can get there as quickly as possible in a future situation. Officers are crucial and are often a woman’s only chance when 1/3 women who file a restraining order are murdered within 2 months by the recipient of that order.

Erik Agazim Law Enforcement Charities Has Supported Local Law Enforcement With Equipment to Keep Them Safe During Their Calls

At Erik Agazim Law Enforcement Charities we have donated thousands of dollars of equipment to local law enforcement agencies to help keep our officers safe when responding to high-risk calls such as domestic violence situations. We hope to continue to provide them with the tools and resources they need to protect themselves and their communities that will enable them to prevent and stop incidents of violence and abuse.

As a local non-profit, we believe that the effects of domestic violence affect us all as a society even if you aren’t directly related to it. In Milwaukee and right here in our backyard in Miami-Dade, police departments from both cities were studied in 2011 and it was found that 3,078 intimate partner violence calls were placed and of those, 117 calls resulted in an officer being assaulted. We hope to have shed some light on a lesser spoken topic regarding the issue. During domestic violence awareness month, we invite you to take some time to remember the officers who provide support for the victims and who answer these calls knowing the statistics they face.