Did you know that police families are two to four times more
likely to experience domestic violence than other American families, according
to studies? The nature of our
work is stressful on any family. Police work long, odd hours, and they see some
of the most disturbing things our society has to offer. But that does not make
it OK for an officer to be violent toward his or her spouse or children.
Worse yet, studies of some police departments have found that
officers will cover up for their colleagues who have abused a family member,
such as not filing a report. It is our job to protect community members, and
the family member of a colleague is entitled to just as much protection as
anyone else.
Although this is not, to my knowledge, presently an issue at
our department, I am very concerned about the well-being of our officers and
their families. To ensure domestic violence does not become a problem within
the KCPD family, I am requiring all law enforcement members to undergo domestic
violence training developed by the Institute for Family Violence Studies at
Florida State University. This training is targeted at law enforcement. Some of
its goals are: “To support a law enforcement culture that prioritizes
prevention efforts and officer/family wellness and also disapproves of
officer-committed domestic violence, and to encourage officers to ask for help
when they need it before violence occurs.”
As the program states, officers are role models for the
communities they serve, and we “must ensure our actions at home are worthy of
our oath.” We have taken many steps to reduce and prevent domestic violence
city-wide (like the Lethality Assessment Protocol that my predecessor wrote about), and
this is another step to do so. Preventing this type of violence begins at home.
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