In the past, domestic violence offenses were not often a major priority for law enforcement, as many police departments declared such matters private family issues. Developments in recent years have certainly changed that, and law enforcement agencies all over California now respond with much greater urgency to these kinds of phone calls. Most domestic violence situations begin with one party contacting the police. When police officers arrive at the scene of an alleged offense, they will usually separate the involved parties and then take statements from each of them. Many police departments have a policy of placing at least one person under arrest when responding to any domestic violence call. Police officers usually try to determine the aggressor in a given situation and arrest that person.