BUILDING COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT

Justin Boardman, Boardman Consulting & Training

Jennifer Benner, National Sexual Violence Resource Center

Training & Technical Assistance

NSVRC

Library

Resources

SEXUAL ASSAULT ACROSS THE LIFESPAN TECHNICAL

ASSISTANCE PROJECT

THROUGH THE LENS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

OBJECTIVES

• Law enforcement culture

• Understand roles• Relationship between Law Enforcement and other teams•How advocates can use this information

MOST HOPE IT IS LIKE THIS

me : (

I HOPED IT WAS LIKE

MUCH MORE LIKE THIS!

Do you see a pattern?

UNDERSTANDING POLICE

•Quasi-military

• Uniforms•Hypervigilance

OFFICER TRAINING

• A little but a lot

• Safety• Liability• Elements of the crime•How statutes are

interpreted

TRAINING ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE

•How many hours? Average

•6 hours

POLICE STRIVE TO DO GOOD

• Sometimes we make mistakes•How do we address

problems?

LOOKING INSIDE A DEPARTMENT

•Officers start in patrol

• Various positions•Officers tend to like

working particular cases; most don’t like DV or SA calls

INVESTIGATIONS

•Detectives do follow-up

• Paperwork to prosecution• Sometimes arrest• Support patrol• Typically interacts with

advocates

WORKING WITH THE MDT

• SOME EXAMPLES

•Dispatch•Medical professionals• Prosecution• Advocates

DISPATCH

WHEN A CALL COMES IN

Complainant calls 911or non emergency

Call taker (911) Operator

Medical and Fire

Police Dispatcher

Patrol UnitComplainant calls 911 or non emergency

Dispatcher Patrol Unit

ADVOCATES

• Follow up with the victim

• In person

• Shows empathy

• Helps navigate systems

• Vicarious trauma continual

• Communicates in a short direct way

• Over the phone

• Does not follow up

• Done during or after the initial call

• Vicarious trauma initial call

DISPATCH

DIFFERENCES

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

WHO DO WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS?

• Emergency medical services

• Fire and medical• Emergency rooms and doctors• Sexual assault nurse examiners• (also very AWESOME)

MEDICAL HEARSAY

•Hearsay vs. medical hearsay• Information can be used

in court

• Frequently responds to calls with LE• Staging• Provides first aid and life-

saving support•No advocates

MEDICAL/FIRE

SEXUAL ASSAULT NURSE EXAMINER (SANE)

• Rape kit

• Importance of SANEs (Campbell et al., 2014; Golding et al., 2015)• LE relies on exam

PROSECUTION

LAW ENFORCEMENT & PROSECUTORS

Report Investigation Screening File or Decline Court Sentencing

RARE

LY

RARE

LY

MO

STLY

MO

STLY

BY SU

BPO

ENA

SOM

ETIM

ES

CASELOAD (PROSECUTORS)

•Huge caseloads

• Lower focus• Low customer service• Little communication

LAW ENFORCEMENT & PROSECUTION

•How does this affect the victim?•How does this benefit the

advocate?•How is the role different?• Are we working together or

opposite?

ADVOCATES

SIMILARITIES

• LE & Advocates both:

•Help victims/survivors• Experience high turnover

rate• Experience vicarious

trauma

HIGH TURNOVER RATES

•High staff burnout

• Unmet trauma needs• Lack of admin support• Always retraining

(The National Sexual Assault Resource Sharing Project [RSP] & National Sexual Violence Resource Center [NSVRC], 2013; U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women [OVW], 2017; Wareham, Smith, & Lambert, 2013)

WORKING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT

ADMINISTRATION

• Usually easier

• Timing & change in administration• Patience

ADMINISTRATION

• Take time

•Meet away from the office• Educate- don’t tell• Pitch a clear plan• Expect blunt feedback

ADMINISTRATION

•How can you help them?

•What are the benefits of the plan?•What are the costs?•How much time & energy

can you spend?

TAKING THE OFFICER PATH

• Find an officer who is 2-3 years into job• Advantage- potentially longer

relationship (careers)• Pay off may not be fast• Someone who “gets it”

POLICE CAN BE STUBBORN

•Often one sided relationship

• Chat one-on-one• Band-Aids not solving larger

problems

HOW CAN ADVOCATES USE THIS INFORMATION?

• Better communication

• Better relationships• Better victim response• Better criminal justice

response

QUESTIONS

REFERENCES

Campbell, R., Bybee, D., Townsend, S. M., Shaw, J., Karim, N.,& Markowitz, J. (2014). The impact of sexual assault nurse examiner programs on criminal justice case outcomes: A multisite replication study. Violence Against Women, 20(5): 607-625. doi:10.1177/1077801214536286

Golding, J., Wasarhaley, N. E., Lynch, K. R., Lippert, A., & Magyarics, C. L. (2015). Improving the credibility of child sexual assault victims in court: The impact of a sexual assault nurse examiner. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 33(4): 493-507. doi:10.1002/bsl.2188

The National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project, & National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2013). Building cultures of care: A guide for sexual assault services programs. Retrieved from https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/publications_nsvrc_guides_building-cultures-of-care.pdf

U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. ( 2017). Reflections from the field on victim/survivor advocacy: Summary report from an advocates roundtable convened by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/936746/download

Wareham, J., Smith, B. W., & Lambert, E. G. (2013). Rates and patterns of law enforcement turnover: A research note. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 26, 345-370. doi:10.1177/0887403413514439

CONTACT INFORMATION

Justin Boardmanwww.justinboardman.comJustin@justinboardman.com801-231-0881Facebook- Boardman Training and ConsultingTwitter- @boardman_trainLinkedin- Justin Boardman

Jennifer BennerNational Sexual Violence Resource Center jbenner@nsvrc.org

CONTACT INFORMATION