Role of Stalking in Domestic Violence Crime Reports Generated by the Colorado Springs Police Department, 1998

This study examined the role of stalking in domestic
 violence crime reports produced by the Colorado Springs Police
 Department (CSPD). It provided needed empirical data on the prevalence
 of stalking in domestic violence crime reports, risk factors
 associated with intimate partner stalking, and police responses to
 reports of intimate partner stalking. The study was conducted jointly
 by the Justice Studies Center (JSC) at the University of Colorado at
 Colorado Springs and the Denver-based Center for Policy Research
 (CPR). JSC staff generated the sample and collected the data, and CPR
 staff processed and analyzed the data. The sample was generated from
 CSPD Domestic Violence Summons and Complaint (DVSC) forms, which were
 used by CSPD officers to investigate crime reports of victims and
 suspects who were or had been in an intimate relationship and where
 there was probable cause to believe a crime was committed. During
 January to September 1999, JSC staff reviewed and entered information
 from all 1998 DVSC forms into a computerized database as part of the
 evaluation process for Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team
 (DVERT), a nationally recognized domestic violence prevention
 program. A subfile of reports initiated during April to September 1998
 was generated from this database and formed the basis for the study
 sample. The DVSC forms contained detailed information about the
 violation including victim and suspect relationship, type of violation
 committed, and specific criminal charges made by the police
 officer. The DVSC forms also contained written narratives by both the
 victim and the investigating officer, which provided detailed
 information about the events precipitating the report, including
 whether the suspect stalked the victim. The researchers classified a
 domestic violence crime report as having stalking allegations if the
 victim and/or police narrative specifically stated that the victim was
 stalked by the suspect, or if the victim and/or police narrative
 mentioned that the suspect engaged in stalking-like behaviors (e.g.,
 repeated following, face-to-face confrontations, or unwanted
 communications by phone, page, letter, fax, or e-mail). Demographic
 variables include victim-suspect relationship, and age, race, sex, and
 employment status of the victim and suspect. Variables describing the
 violation include type of violation committed, specific criminal
 charges made by the police officer, whether the alleged violation
 constituted a misdemeanor or a felony crime, whether a suspect was
 arrested, whether the victim sustained injuries, whether the victim
 received medical attention, whether the suspect used a firearm or
 other type of weapon, whether items were placed in evidence, whether
 the victim or suspect was using drugs and/or alcohol at the time of
 the incident, number and ages of children in the household, whether
 children were in the home at the time of the incident, and whether
 there was a no-contact or restraining order in effect against the
suspect at the time of the incident.

Tags: crime-prevention, crime-reporting, domestic-violence, police-reports, risk-assessment, stalking, victims
Organization: Department of Justice