Professional Development — VCU College of Health Professions

Enhancing the response to abuse in later life: a law enforcement training project

NEW: Executive Law Enforcement Digital Toolkit

The goal of this statewide project is to enhance the law enforcement response to violence against older women in a comprehensive manner by providing trainings at the executive, supervisor, and detective/officer levels. Underlying all trainings is consideration of the significant and growing impact of abuse in later life on our communities, the dynamics of abuse, the unique and specific needs of older women who are victims of violence, unconscious ageist biases which can affect response, and the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration.

Two statewide presentations reaching an estimated total of 200-250 law enforcement executives will recognize the leadership role of the executive in the community, and focus on how the agency coordinates its efforts with key community stakeholders. The additional statewide supervisor training reaching an estimated total of 50 first-line supervisors will address tasks and topics that include the review of incident reports to determine if the response was appropriate, and the decision on following up in each case with services and/or more detailed investigation.

Four regional, one-day trainings for detectives and officers, estimated to reach a total of 160, will focus on recognition, initial response, and investigation of crimes that include domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and neglect. The nationally developed and tested curriculum for detectives/officers emphasizes a trauma-informed response, and addresses cultural competency, recognizing and avoiding activities that compromise victim safety, community resources to assist victims and provide services, and steps toward developing a coordinated community response. A multidisciplinary training team consisting of law enforcement, adult protective services, prosecutor, and victim advocate deliver this daylong training.

This project is supported by the Department of Criminal Justice Services award no. 17-A6058VA16 from funds made available through the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund. The opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of DCJS.