Police Interactions with Victims of Violence

Abstract

Little is known about the law enforcement practices that maximize victim cooperation and/or help-seeking. The interaction between a victim and the patrol officer who is the first responder might be a moment at which the officer’s choices—what s/he says or does—affect the victim’s choices. Later interactions between victims and investigators might be junctures at which influence is (knowingly or not) exerted. Until we generate empirical evidence about the range of officer and investigator practices and associated responses by victims, police must learn through trial and error what works. This project was designed to further our understanding of the nature of police-victim interactions, particularly in the context of non-domestic incidents of violent victimization: robbery, assaults, and other interpersonal conflicts involving adult victims. (Author Abstract)