Intimate Partner Abuse: Cases Involving Protective Order Violations versus Those That Do Not

Abstract

This study explores police response to protective order violations and cases that do not involve protective violations within the context of intimate partner abuse. Major objectives of the study are to: 1) understand in what way protective order violations differ from other domestic violence cases that come to the attention of the police and; 2) to understand what factors lead to arrest in cases involving protective order violations and those that do not. Data from a large metropolitan area in the United States is analyzed to understand how the police are responding to these cases. Domestic disturbance calls from 2003 are examined for comparison between all domestic disturbance calls (n=1187) and protective order violation calls (n=252). Findings include differences between these two types of calls (with protective order cases less likely to be between parties currently in a relationship, for the offender less likely to be present when police arrive, and more likely to end up in arrest) and differences and similarities in the predictors of arrest in these two types of calls. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.