Domestic violence can occur in many situations, and is devastating for all types of victims. As any Dallas family violence attorney knows, domestic abuse can even happen with situations where you would least expect it-such as an incident involving an officer of the law.
A Dallas police officer was recently suspended for 20 days after a domestic disturbance was reported at his home. The officer’s girlfriend, accompanied by a domestic violence advocate, went to the police department to report that he had assaulted her. She had been staying at a shelter. The woman reported that the man threw her on the bed and called her later and threatened to strangle her. At the station, the woman stated that she was afraid of the officer. The previous day, the girlfriend called police officers to the residence because of an argument; the cause of this argument is disputed by the officer and the girlfriend. The officer denied assaulting his girlfriend.
This is not the first assault report relating to this officer; in 2003, he received a reprimand for assaulting another police officer and in 2004, he received a 20-day suspension for a different accusation.
Domestic violence is generally defined as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship by one partner toward the other. Domestic violence is not limited to violence toward a spouse or significant other, and victims can be other family members, children, or roommates. Additionally, physical abuse is not the only form of abuse that qualifies as domestic violence. Sexual, emotional and psychological abuse are also considered part of domestic violence.
Victims can seek help in several forms, including emergency orders from the court or sheriff’s office. Additionally, there are many hotlines, helplines and networks available to victims, as well as shelters, such as that used by the officer’s girlfriend.
Source: CrimeBlog.DallasNews.com, “Dallas police officer receives 20-day suspension over domestic disturbance,” Tanya Eiserer, Dec. 17, 2012