Here are excerpts from a paper printed in:
Domestic Violence by Police Officers
A compilation of papers submitted to the Domestic Violence by Police Officers Conference at the FBI Academy, Quantico, VA
Donald C. Sheehan, Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Editor
PREFACE
Popular culture with the help of the media has elevated the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) to legendary status since its inception in 1972.
***
I invite you to enter the world of the BSU through an examination of this significant topic. We constantly seek to broaden our perspective from our vantage point at the FBI Academy. This book represents a fine example of applying behavioral science to law enforcement issues.
Stephen R. Band, Ph.D.
Chief, Behavioral Science Unit, FBI Academy
Excerpts from a paper presented by Diane Wetendorf, pp 375-382
The Impact of Police-Perpetrated Domestic Violence
Only physical abuse or the threat of physical abuse is against the law. Discussion of verbal, emotional, sexual or psychological abuse is thus often considered irrelevant. However, domestic violence is not solely about physical abuse. Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive behaviors used to intimidate and manipulate the victim for the purpose of gaining and maintaining control.
· Police abusers differ from other abusers only in that they are tougher and more dangerous. They have training, a badge, a gun and the weight of the police culture behind them. Smart police do not hit, slap, kick, or choke their partners. It is not necessary. They exercise their power and control by intimidating, isolating and terrifying the victim. These forms of abuse need to be addressed when the perpetrator is an officer. They are misuses of institutional power - the badge, the gun, the support of the department - and there is the constant threat that he will use them all against her.
Police are trained to walk in and take control of any situation. Their mere presence, voice and stance are used to establish their authority. They learn a full range of information-gathering techniques ranging from interviewing and interrogating to vigilant surveillance. The proficient use of these investigative techniques requires the ability to be manipulative and deceptive.
· Police know which situations justify the use of force and how to adequately explain it should they have to defend their actions in a court of law.
· The same characteristics and skills that are developed in training to produce competent officers are those that, when used in an intimate relationship, make police officers the most dangerous abusers. The problem occurs when the officer walks through the front door of his home with the same mind-set he has in his professional life. His sense of entitlement to authority and respect from civilians carries over to his intimate partner. He cannot conceive of an egalitarian relationship. He must always be dominant and in control. Even a minor disagreement is perceived as a challenge to his authority which he will not tolerate. He uses his many finely honed skills and tactics to impress upon the victim that he has total control over her life.
· The abuser uses verbal intimidation and degradation to communicate to the victim that she has no power in their relationship. He uses words as weapons to embarrass and humiliate her. He screams at her as if she was a criminal on the street — his voice and face changes; he uses vile language. He tells the victim she is no better than the whores and scumbags he deals with on the job every day.
Sometimes the verbal attack is used to provoke a confrontation for which he can then retaliate.
· Where the victim does press charges, she is accused of being vindictive and going after his job. Obtaining a protective order is perceived as an act of aggression.
· If the victim goes to the department, her complaint is received in a defensive or hostile manner. The victim is perceived as hysterical, exaggerating, or lying. After this initial response to her complaint, the victim reasonably can conclude that the subsequent investigation, should there be one, is often biased in favor of the abuser.
Domestic Violence by Police Officers
A compilation of papers submitted to the Domestic Violence by Police Officers Conference at the FBI Academy, Quantico, VA
Donald C. Sheehan, Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Editor
PREFACE
Popular culture with the help of the media has elevated the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) to legendary status since its inception in 1972.
***
I invite you to enter the world of the BSU through an examination of this significant topic. We constantly seek to broaden our perspective from our vantage point at the FBI Academy. This book represents a fine example of applying behavioral science to law enforcement issues.
Stephen R. Band, Ph.D.
Chief, Behavioral Science Unit, FBI Academy
Excerpts from a paper presented by Diane Wetendorf, pp 375-382
The Impact of Police-Perpetrated Domestic Violence
Only physical abuse or the threat of physical abuse is against the law. Discussion of verbal, emotional, sexual or psychological abuse is thus often considered irrelevant. However, domestic violence is not solely about physical abuse. Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive behaviors used to intimidate and manipulate the victim for the purpose of gaining and maintaining control.
· Police abusers differ from other abusers only in that they are tougher and more dangerous. They have training, a badge, a gun and the weight of the police culture behind them. Smart police do not hit, slap, kick, or choke their partners. It is not necessary. They exercise their power and control by intimidating, isolating and terrifying the victim. These forms of abuse need to be addressed when the perpetrator is an officer. They are misuses of institutional power - the badge, the gun, the support of the department - and there is the constant threat that he will use them all against her.
Police are trained to walk in and take control of any situation. Their mere presence, voice and stance are used to establish their authority. They learn a full range of information-gathering techniques ranging from interviewing and interrogating to vigilant surveillance. The proficient use of these investigative techniques requires the ability to be manipulative and deceptive.
· Police know which situations justify the use of force and how to adequately explain it should they have to defend their actions in a court of law.
· The same characteristics and skills that are developed in training to produce competent officers are those that, when used in an intimate relationship, make police officers the most dangerous abusers. The problem occurs when the officer walks through the front door of his home with the same mind-set he has in his professional life. His sense of entitlement to authority and respect from civilians carries over to his intimate partner. He cannot conceive of an egalitarian relationship. He must always be dominant and in control. Even a minor disagreement is perceived as a challenge to his authority which he will not tolerate. He uses his many finely honed skills and tactics to impress upon the victim that he has total control over her life.
· The abuser uses verbal intimidation and degradation to communicate to the victim that she has no power in their relationship. He uses words as weapons to embarrass and humiliate her. He screams at her as if she was a criminal on the street — his voice and face changes; he uses vile language. He tells the victim she is no better than the whores and scumbags he deals with on the job every day.
Sometimes the verbal attack is used to provoke a confrontation for which he can then retaliate.
· Where the victim does press charges, she is accused of being vindictive and going after his job. Obtaining a protective order is perceived as an act of aggression.
· If the victim goes to the department, her complaint is received in a defensive or hostile manner. The victim is perceived as hysterical, exaggerating, or lying. After this initial response to her complaint, the victim reasonably can conclude that the subsequent investigation, should there be one, is often biased in favor of the abuser.