BAKER ONE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROJECT IMPROVING RESPONSE TO CHRONIC DOMESTIC

Baker One officer embraced the concept of indicator crimes, which, if properly analyzed, could enable police to intervene in domestic cases before the abusive behavior rose to the level of an assault or homicide. ANALYSIS: Analysis of domestic assault reports showed that the average victim had filed nine previous police reports, most of which involved the same suspect and occasionally crossed police district boundaries. Many of the prior reports were indicator crimes. Most repeat call locations were domestic situations. Victim and suspect are moving "hot spots", as opposed to a fixed geographic location RESPONSE: All of the offense reports involving a victim/suspect pair were analyzed. Tailored responses were developed for each case, including zero tolerance of criminal behavior of suspect and the use of other criminal justice and social service agencies. Victims were encouraged to use a Police Watch Program and Domestic Violence Hotline. Case files were used to create a base for victim/offender data, which was used to track victims and offenders as moving 'hot spots " across district boundaries