In domestic violence cases, police are more likely to make arrests when pets are abused too

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In domestic ********* cases, police are more likely to make arrests when pets are abused too

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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. households have at least

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, and almost all see their **** as a

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.

Unfortunately, in homes where ********* occurs, pets can also be victims of this harm.

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consistently support

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between animal cruelty and interpersonal *********.

The link with intimate partner *********, which is defined by the Centers for ******** Control and Prevention

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, extends this connection. Animal cruelty is not only a recognized factor that predicts harming an intimate partner, but it can be used to perpetrate this *********.

Animal cruelty is weaponized when an intimate partner threatens to harm, or actually harms, a **** to control their partner. This tactic is powerful.

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regularly cite ***** for the safety of their **** as a primary reason they do not leave an abusive situation.

Advocacy groups have used evidence of the link with intimate partner ********* to propose

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to protect humans and their companion animals who are at risk for harm by an intimate partner. Based on these efforts,

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have enacted laws that expand the coverage of protective orders, which are

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, to include pets within the scope of those who are protected.

State legislatures also have included evidence of animal ****** in efforts to protect people.

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or “red flag” laws allow the temporary removal of firearms from a dangerous situation where someone might hurt themselves or others. At least four states—

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,

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,

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and

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—specifically list a history of animal cruelty as one reason an extreme-risk protection order could be issued.

At the federal level, Congress passed the

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to fund emergency housing for people and their pets who are escaping intimate partner *********. In 2022, Congress increased the budget for this program to

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.

Despite these policies to protect animal and human victims of intimate partner *********, we know little about these cases in terms of whether the police are called or any arrests are made.

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—whether they involve animal cruelty or not—are reported to the police.

Victims of intimate partner ********* have many reasons for not contacting police. Some are concerned the police won’t believe them or won’t be able to stop the *********. Others are financially dependent on their abuser or think it is a private matter that doesn’t involve police.

‘Intentional cruelty,’ not neglect

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, including intimate partner *********, for over two decades. To explore these cases of intimate partner ********* and animal cruelty that involve police,

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newly available data from the FBI. The FBI collects details on over 50 types of ****** from police departments across the ******* States and recently added

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.

We used this data to look at intimate partner ********* that occurred alongside animal cruelty. In such cases, almost

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involved intentional cruelty rather than neglect. This finding is consistent with abusers weaponizing ********* against pets to control their partner.

We also compared two groups of intimate partner ********* incidents where police were called. One group involved intimate partner ********* and animal cruelty. The second group included intimate partner ********* and another type of ******, such as arson, vandalism or motor vehicle theft.

Both groups of cases shared similar characteristics. For example, over

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involved current dating partners as compared with current spouses or former partners. In addition, most cases involved

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with male perpetrators.

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between the two groups. Nearly two-thirds of intimate partner ********* incidents involving animal cruelty ended with an arrest, as compared with just over half of intimate partner ********* occurring with another ******.

Understanding this nearly 10 percentage-point difference in arrests when animal cruelty is present is important.

Arrests can serve essential functions, including immediately removing a dangerous, violent perpetrator from the situation. Arrests also provide a record of evidence of a pattern of ********* for interventions such as

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. Danger risk assessments consist of a series of questions, which are used by health care professionals, advocates and law enforcement to identify victims at the highest risk for fatal, or near-fatal, intimate partner ********* and direct them to immediate services and safety.

Expand laws to include pets

While our data does not allow us to explain this pattern, we can suggest two ways animal cruelty might affect the decision to arrest.

Intimate partner ********* victims may be more likely to demand an arrest if their **** is harmed or threatened, as compared with other situations. Incidents involving ********* against a partner and a **** may also prompt an arrest due to their nature.

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indicates intimate partner ********* that occurs with animal cruelty involves more serious ********* than other cases.

Our work reiterates the importance of laws that expanded intimate partner ********* protections to include pets. It also highlights the important opportunity for police officers who are called to these incidents to connect victims with services. To effectively support victims and their pets, police need to be educated on available ****-inclusive services, including ****-friendly shelter options.

In addition, our work identifies the need to encourage collaboration between police and humane law enforcement. Humane law enforcement officers are first responders for animal cruelty situations. Just as police may discover animal cruelty when responding to intimate partner *********, humane law enforcement may uncover evidence of interpersonal *********. Established partnerships across police and humane law enforcement departments can ensure the safety for both human and animal victims.

Provided by
The Conversation

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In domestic ********* cases, police are more likely to make arrests when pets are abused too (2024, August 27)
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#domestic #********* #cases #police #arrests #pets #abused

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