NEW ALBANY POLICE DEPARTMENT - New Albany, Ohio

14.2.4 Enforcement of the Domestic Violence Statute
The following procedures shall be followed in enforcement of the domestic violence statute:
A. Domestic violence calls with the victim and the offender at the scene
When handling calls of this type, officers shall:
1. Separate the victim and offender.
2. Conduct interviews of both the offender and the victim in separate locations. In
addition, any witnesses should be identified and interviewed separately.
3. Determine which person is the primary physical aggressor. In doing so, the
following factors should be considered:
Any history of domestic violence or violent acts by either person
Whether either person was acting in self-defense
Each person’s fear of physical harm and the reasonableness of that fear
The severity of any injuries
4. Make any appropriate arrest(s).
5. Complete an Ohio Uniform Incident Report (see Addendum B) and a Domestic
Violence Report (PD-99-108) (see Addendum C) with appropriate report number,
and include the following information:
The relationship between the victim(s) and the offender.
If the primary physical aggressor is not arrested, all reasons supporting
this decision must be articulated. The law does not specifically list
reasons officers can cite to deviate from the preferred course of action.
However, the law does require that the officer clearly document any
reasons for the deviation.
Observations of the victim and offender
Any visible injuries
Any weapons at the scene
Actions of the offender
Any statements made by the victim or witnesses, including:
a. If appropriate, information the offender has been granted pretrial
release on a charge of domestic violence or violation of
protection order or consent agreement
b. The frequency and severity of any prior incidents of physical
abuse of the victim by the offender
c. The number of times the victim has called a law enforcement
agency for assistance
d. The disposition of those calls
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