Research Brief One-Sheet No.4: Officer-Involved Domestic Violence

Officer-Involved Domestic Violence (OIDV) refers to instances of domestic and/or family violence that occur within police families. OIDV has been recognized as an important issue for both police scholars and practitioners. The movement to recognize OIDV gained momentum through the last two decades, beginning with exploratory research that linked police stress and family violence (Johnson, 1991). The movement also involved enactment of the Violence Against Women Act (1994) and the Lautenberg Amendment to the federal Gun Control Act that prohibits individuals—including police officers—from owning or using a firearm if they are convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. The International Association of Police Chiefs (IACP) promulgated a model policy on OIDV in 1999 and issued a revised policy on OIDV in 2003. The purpose of the research is to provide empirical data on violence within police families. Our research identifies and describes incidents in which police were arrested for criminal offenses associated with an incident of family and/or domestic violence. Our primary goal is to provide information on actual OIDV cases to inform policies and further initiatives designed to mitigate the problem