Department Intervention
Domestic Violence Myths
Domestic Violence in Public Safety
Frequently Asked Questions
Power Abuse
Profile of the Offender
Profile of the Victim
The Three-Phase Cycle of Domestic Violence
Department Intervention Public safety agencies have in place a domestic violence policy that includes their department prevention and intervention. (Refer to a sample in the Resource section of this app under Peer Support Forms) A department intervention program may include:
• Self-referral for treatment (e.g., EAP, psychological services, employee support services programs)
• Conducting thorough investigations of domestic violence
• Training supervisors in early detection and how to take appropriate action
• Active peer support programs
• A chaplain’s program
• Department-wide training in the effects of domestic violence in families
• Email campaigns
• Posters in division with resource numbers
Domestic Violence in Public Safety Peer supporters must know what to do for domestic violence victims. It is not uncommon for professionals in public safety relationships to encounter some form of domestic violence. When this occurs in a first responder relationship, the abused partner experiences a sense of helplessness and vulnerability and is afraid to report the occurrence because he or she doesn’t want the abuser to lose his or her job. It is important for peer supporters to know the early warning signs (early detection) of power abuse and to take the appropriate action if necessary. Definitions Domestic violence is an act or pattern of violence that is done against his/her intimate partner. This act is not done in the defense of self or others.
Some abusive acts are:
• Sexual battery
• Stalking
• Physical retraint
• Bodily injury
• Imminent threat of bodily injury
• Death threats
• Death
• Violation of court order
An intimate partner…
• Is/was legally married to the offender
• Has a child in common with the offender
• Has/had a dating relationship with the offender
• State law specifically specifies he or she is an intimate partner with the offender
• Is cohabitating romantically with the offender
Frequently Asked Questions
What is domestic violence? Domestic violence is intentional and persistent abusive behavior which is based on an unequal position of power and control. Domestic violence can include a range of behaviors used by one person to control another with whom they have, or have had, a close or family relationship with. It can be physical, sexual, or psychological. Why does the abused return or stay with the abuser? A victim may return to the offender, because that’s the person he or she loves. The individual also believes that the person will change. Victims also want the abuse to end, not the relationship.
Do individuals who serve as a first responders show any potential warning signs they might be an offender? Yes, refer to the Profile of the Offender section in this app.
What causes domestic violence? A number of things can contribute to domestic violence: stress, need of control, substance abuse, seeing abuse themselves as a child, being abused themselves in the past. How can I provide peer support to a friend, co-worker, or family member who is experiencing domestic violence? They obviously have trust in you since they have disclosed the violence they are experiencing. This is a very positive step. The ways you can provide peer support are as follows:
• Be there for him/her
• Don’t judge
• Follow the Statement of Clarification (refer to the Crisis Intervention section of this app)
• Don’t get frustrated when he or she is not ready to leave the abusive situation
• Provide reassurance that there is help available
• Be a good listener
• Be patient
• Know your department policy and get the help that he/she needs
• Have the resources available for safety reasons.
• Follow the Statement of Clarification (refer to the Crisis Intervention section of this app)
• Don’t get frustrated when he or she is not ready to leave the abusive situation
• Provide reassurance that there is help available
• Be a good listener
• Be patient
• Know your department policy and get the help that he/she needs
• Have the resources available for safety reasons
As a peer supporter, do I have to report that I have knowledge of a domestic violence taking place with a co-worker, whether the person is a victim or an offender? In 2003 the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) wrote a policy regarding reporting domestic violence (Refer to Resource section of this app under IACP Documents). Under section IV. B 4 it recommends: “A disclosure on the part of any officer, intimate partner, or family member to any member of the department that an officer has personally engaged in domestic violence will be treated as an admission or report of a crime and shall be investigated both administratively and criminally.” Be sure to refer to your department’s policy. For firefighters, be sure to refer to your department’s policy. Will I lose my job if I have been in a domestic violence dispute? That depends on your department’s policy and the severity of the situation.
Where can I refer someone to get help? There are many resources including your department’s EAP, Employee Support Services (ESS), or other resources that provide treatment and groups for domestic violence.
What is considered emotional abuse?
• Verbal abuse
• Isolation
• Intimidation
• Controlling behavior
Power Abuse
Early warning signs of power abuse that can lead to domestic violence:
• Stalking while on-duty
• Use of department equipment to conduct surveillance
• Obtaining information about people by running their license plates or accessing law enforcement databases
• Sending officers to victim’s residence to do wellness check
• Making false police reports
• Soliciting officers to initiate false traffic stops on the victim
• Threatening to arrest victim/friends/family members
• Tampering with home security system
• Using police powers to facilitate a crime
· Instilling fear in the victim due to the knowledge of DV shelter locations
Resources
Profile of the Offender When it comes to offenders in public safety professions, such as first responders, it is hard for most of us to believe that they are capable of being a domestic violence offender. They stand for right and wrong, and we all agree that it is wrong to commit violence against a family member or partner. This is one area that peer supporters tend to overlook and deny. The following lists the profile of a possible offender:
• Believes all myths about battered relationships
• Show a traditionalist belief in male supremacy (regarding males)
• Pathologically jealous
• Low self-esteem
• Presents a dual personality
• Frequently uses sex as an act of aggression to enhance self esteem
• Does not believe his/her behavior should have negative consequences
• Insists on moving too quickly into a relationship
• Seem charming and too good to be true
• He or she requests the victim stop participating in leisure activities or spending time with family or friends There are other factors peer supporters need to consider when the abuser is a first responder, such as:
• The victim may feel more helpless.
• Public safety families don’t “air their dirty laundry.”
• The abuser knows the system.
• Victim fears retaliation from other first responders.
• Victim fears the police and court will side with the abuser.
TRO/legal action will cost the public safety officer’s job (e.g., cannot carry weapon, may be banned from being a paramedic).
• Couples fear seeking help.
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• Victim fears the police and court will side with the abuser.
• TRO/legal action will cost the public safety officer’s job (e.g., cannot carry weapon, may be banned from being a paramedic).
• Couples fear seeking help.
• The abuser’s training and access to weapons increases the potential of lethality during physical/psychological abuse. There is some evidence that put first responders into a high-risk group for committing domestic violence. As a peer supporter, recognize that these factors can contribute to your co-worker committing the offense:
• Job stress
• Job dissatisfaction
• Unresolved PTSD
• Previous complaints
• Sleep deprevation
• Isolation
• Poor coping skills
• Exhaustion syndrome (Emergency Responders Exhaustion Syndrome ERES)
• Moodiness
• Bursts of anger
• Abusive of subtances
• Poor decision-making
• Overuse of caffinated drinks
• Poor impulse control
Profile of the Victim
There is actually a victim profile for individuals involved in a domestic violence situation. By knowing the following, peer supporters who know this profile may be able to approach someone they believe is a victim:
• Low self-esteem and lack of clear identity
• Believes myths about battered relationships
• Is a tranditionalist about the home
• Suffers from guilt
• Accepts responsibility for batterer’s actions
• Passive on the the outside
• Exhibits severe stress reactions
• Uses sex to establish intimacy
• Believes he or she is stuck and the situation will never change
• Believes no one will be able to help him/her There are other factors peer supporters need to consider when the offender is a first responder, such as:
The victim may feel more helpless.
Public safety families don’t “air their dirty laundry.”
The abuser knows the system.
Victim fears retaliation from other first responders.
Victim fears the police and court will side with the abuser.
• Suffers from guilt
• Accepts responsibility for batterer’s actions
• Passive on the the outside
• Exhibits severe stress reactions
• Uses sex to establish intimacy
• Believes he or she is stuck and the situation will never change
• Believes no one will be able to help him/her
There are other factors peer supporters need to consider when the offender is a first responder, such as: The victim may feel more helpless.
Public safety families don’t “air their dirty laundry.”
The abuser knows the system.
Victim fears retaliation from other first responders.
Victim fears the police and court will side with the abuser.
TRO/legal action will cost the pubic safety officer’s job (e.g., cannot carry weapon, may be banned from being a paramedic).
Couples fear seeking help.
The abuser’s training and access to weapons increases the potential of lethality during physical/psychological abuse.
Domestic Violence in Public Safety
Phase One: Tension-Building
• Tension mounts.
• Victim attempts to appease the offender and assumes responsiblity for his/her anger.
• Offender is aware that his/her behavior is inappropriate.
• He/she fears the victim will leave him/her and thus becomes possessive and jealous.
• Ends with an explosion of violence. Phase Two: Acute Battering Incident
• The incident which sets off the violence is often trivial and unknown
• Violence ranges from punching and kicking to assaults with weapons
• The victim may not even realize how badly he/she is hurt and may be in a physical and psychological state of shock.
• The offender discounts the episode and underestimates the victim’s injuries.
• The violence stops when: – the victim leaves – the police are called – the offender realizes what he/she is doing – someone needs to be taken to the hospital
Phase Three: Loving Reconciliation
• May begin after a few hours to several days following the battering incident
• Both feel relieved that “it’s over.”
• Offender showers victim with love and praise to win him/her back.
• The victim believes this is his/her “real” partner and it is up to him/her to prevent further episodes.
• A strong love bond develops and increases the couple’s isolation from reality.
• Anyone trying to support and intervene is seen as the “enemy.”
• Reconciliation becomes a kind of reward for his/her violence, making it difficult to use other alternatives for handling tensions and stress.
The three phase cycle increases the spiral of violence. First there is tension building, which becomes shorter and more intense. Then there is acute battering where the incidents become more frequent and intense. A loving reconciliation becomes shorter and less intense.