Policing Domestic Violence: Examining the Impact of Extralegal Factors on Officer Decision Making

Domestic violence calls to police departments are more common than all other violent crimes combined, with some estimates suggesting 70% of all service calls are domestic violence related. Yet, legal responses to domestic violence calls are often categorized as biased, inconsistent, and inadequate. Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews, ethnographic fieldwork, and archival sources, and informed by the literature on police discretion, organizations, and domestic violence, this dissertation examines the extent to which specific extra-legal factors influence police officer perceptions and responses in the field. First, I demonstrate how police organizations influence the behavior of their employees through policy, training, and culture. I find that expectations and constraints regarding policy and bureaucratic processes significantly influence police behaviors and perceptions of domestic violence calls. In addition, I note inconsistencies between formal police training, which is victim centered, and the “hidden curriculum,” which often presents domestic violence cases in a negative light. Second, I consider the influence of officer demographic characteristics on responses to domestic violence and find support for the “difference perspective,” whereby officer perceptions of themselves and their abilities differ based on their gender and race. I argue that these perceptions contribute to policing as an inequality regime and site of inequality reproduction as they reinforce the notion that domestic violence calls are more appropriately handled by certain groups of people (read: women). Finally, I highlight the literature on worthy victimhood – which portrays “worthy” victims as white, middle-class, and female – and discuss how stereotypes of certain groups of people are challenged and/or reinforced by officers. I argue that differential officer responses are a result of officers’ own biases and adherence to stereotypes about certain types of people, which ultimately perpetuates broader social inequalities. Taken together, my research demonstrates that several extra-legal factors have an impact on police officer decision making. In addition, my findings add nuance to understanding the intersection of policing, discretion, and domestic violence