Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence: A Roundtable Discussion

Publication Date: 2016
Tag(s): domestic violence, gender-based violence, law enforcement, LGBTQ, sexual assault
Author(s): Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
Abstract: In August 2015, law enforcement executives and officers, crime victim advocates, academics, and other subject matter experts convened to discuss a draft of the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence(PDF) publication, to share promising practices, and to develop effective strategies for serving victims of these crimes. Women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals are disproportionately affected by crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence, and underenforcement of such offenses can constitute a gender-based bias on the part of law enforcement agencies. This summary of the roundtable reflects the opinions and recommendations of the law enforcement officials, victim advocates, and subject matter experts who attended.