Unit 9

Police Response to Domestic Violence

What the the purpose of police in society?

What is the police role in a domestic violence situation?

The police roles are:

• To protect the victim

• Determine if crime has occurred

• Provide a basis for a successful prosecution

Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment

• Arrest the suspect

• Order one party out of the residence

• Counsel couples on how to resolve their issues

What do you think the outcome of this study was? Which one had

the most affect of continuous domestic violence being reported?

What is the purpose of mandatory arrest policies?

Mandatory arrest laws

What famous court case brought domestic violence to the frontline?

Jaylene

O.J. Simpson

In Florida, if probable cause exists for a domestic violence

arrest, the officer SHALL make the arrest.

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE (IPV)

Actual or threatened physical or sexual violence violence or psychological/emotional abuse

by a spouse, ex-spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend,

ex-boy/girlfriend or date.

The strongest risk factor for intimate partner homicide is an

abuser’s:

Dee

Lack of employment

Women also abuse their partners and

They have a tendency to use more ____(?) than

male abusers.

Weapons

Why do abused people stay in

abusive relationships?

FEAR AND MONEY

The most dangerous time for a batter woman is when she attempts to leave her abuser. Why?

In the past, Domestic Violence was not a police matter…..

The landmark case on police failure to protect victims of domestic violence:

Thurman v. City of Torrington

DID THE POLICE DROP THE BALL IN THIS CASE?

• October 1982

• Charles Thurman attacked Tracey Thurman at the home of Judy Bentley and Richard St. Hilaire in the city of Torrington. Mr. St. Hilaire and Ms. Bentley made a formal complaint of the attack to a police officer and asked him to keep the Thurman’s husband, Charles, off their property.

• November 5, 1982

• Charles Thurman went to the St. Hilaire–Bentley residence and took by force their son Charles J. Thurman, Jr. Tracey Thurman and Mr. St. Hilaire went to police headquarters to make a formal complaint. At that point, police officers of refused to take a complaint—even of trespassing.

• November 9, 1982

• Charles Thurman screamed threats to Tracey Thurman while she was sitting in her car. Officer Neil Gemelli stood on the street watching Charles Thurman scream threats at Tracey Thurman until Charles Thurman broke the windshield of Tracey’s car while she was inside the vehicle. Officer Gemelli arrested Charles Thurman.

• November 10, 1982

• Charles was convicted of breach of peace. He received a suspended sentence of six months and a two-year “conditional discharge,” during which he was ordered to stay completely away from Tracey Thurman and the Bentley–St. Hilaire residence and to commit no further crimes. Charles was informed of the sentence.

• December 31, 1982

• While Tracey Thurman was at the Bentley–St. Hilaire residence, Charles Thurman came to the house and threatened her again. She called the Torrington Police Department. Although informed of the violation of the conditional discharge, the officer who took the call made no attempt to find out where Charles was or to arrest him.

• January 1-May 4, l983

• Officers took numerous telephone complaints from Tracy that Charles threatened to hurt her and repeated requests that the officers arrest Charles because of his threats and violations of the terms of his probation.

• May 4 and 5, l983

• Tracey Thurman and Ms. Bentley reported to the Torrington Police Department that Charles Thurman threatened to shoot Tracey. Officer Storrs took the written complaint of plaintiff Tracey Thurman and her request that they get an arrest warrant for her husband because of his death threat and violation of his “conditional discharge.”

• Continue…..

• Officer Storrs refused to take the complaint of Ms. Bentley and he told her to come back three weeks later (June 1, 1983), when Storrs or someone else would try to get the warrant

• May 6, 1983

• Tracey Thurman filed an application for a restraining order against Charles Thurman in the Litchfield Superior Court. That day, the court issued a restraining order forbidding Charles Thurman from assaulting, threatening, and harassing Tracey Thurman. The City was informed of this order.

• May 27, 1983

• Tracey Thurman asked for police protection to get to the Torrington Police Department, and when an officer brought her to the department, she asked for a warrant for her husband’s arrest. The officer told her she had wait until after the Memorial Day holiday weekend and was advised to call on Tuesday, May 31, to pursue the warrant request.

• May 31, 1983• Tracey Thurman appeared once again

at the Torrington Police Department to pursue the warrant request. She was then advised by and officer that Officer Schapp was the only policeman who could help her and he was on vacation. She was told that she had to wait until he got back. Continue…

• Continue

• That same day, Tracey’s brother-in-law, Joseph Kocsis, called the Torrington Police Department to protest the lack of action taken on Tracey’s complaint. Although Mr. Kocsis was told Charles Thurman would be arrested on June 8, 1983, no arrest took place.

• June 10, 1983

• Charles Thurman appeared at the Bentley–St. Hilaire residence in the early afternoon and demanded to speak to Tracey Thurman. Tracey, remaining indoors, called the police department asking that Charles be picked up for violation of his probation. After about 15 minutes, Tracey went outside to try to persuade him not to take or hurt Charles Jr. Charles suddenly stabbed Tracey repeatedly in the chest, neck, and throat.

• Twenty-five minutes after Tracey’s call to the Torrington Police Department and after her stabbing, a single police officer, Officer Petrovits, arrived on the scene. Charles Thurman was holding a bloody knife. Charles dropped the knife and, in the presence of Petrovits, kicked Tracey in the head and ran into the Bentley–St. Hilaire residence.

• Charles came back holding Charles Thurman, Jr. and dropped him on his wounded mother. Charles then kicked Tracey in the head a second time.

• Soon thereafter, Officers DeAngelo, Nukirk, and Columbia arrived on the scene but still permitted Charles Thurman to wander about the crowd and continue to threaten Tracey.

• Finally, upon approaching Tracey once again, this time while she was lying on a stretcher, Charles Thurman was arrested and taken into custody.

• From the first to the last of these episodes, Charles Thurman lived in Torrington and worked as a counterman and short order cook at Skie’s Diner. There he served many members of the Torrington Police Department, including some of the officers in this case. While at work, Charles Thurman boasted to the officers that he intended to “get” his wife and that he intended to kill her.

DID THE TORRINGTON POLICE MESS

UP?

Any questions?