A few years ago David Sargent told me, "I get a good response from the video." Dave is a Law Enforcement Consultant in Hyattsville, Maryland and has used our training video for years. At that time he was busy training Maryland State Police Officers for The Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence and said that he likes the video because "it's short and repeats itself providing a summary for everything they've learned during the video". Dave adds that the funding for the 18 copies of the video The Maryland Network he purchased was from VAWA (Violence Against Women Act).

This 18 minute training video uses actual police officers to dramatize a realistic domestic violence incident; it was specifically developed for use in law enforcement training in close cooperation with domestic violence advocates, liability experts and training professionals.

The video is also being used by various domestic violence prevention organizations, victim’s rights organizations, battered women’s shelters and rape crisis centers to show actual or potential victims how they can expect police (who have been trained in the pro-arrest policy) to handle a typical domestic violence arrest incident.  

Even though the video was produced in the 90's, it still contains all the latest information on domestic violence trends, domestic violence prevention and the pro-arrest policy. It carefully illustrates the establishment of probable cause and factors influencing the arrest decision.

You get clear, hard-hitting, pertinent information to use in your in-service and new recruit training sessions. Although this tape illustrates the New York State police response to domestic violence, many states have similar laws and policies and would benefit from incorporating this material into their police training.

This Police Training Video is used by The New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence in their Instructor Development Course for Certified Police Instructors.

Research has indicated that arrest is the most effective deterrent to future violence in the home. Also, recent liability cases have shown the need for police to implement effective policies to protect officers, departments and municipalities from civil suits as well as to protect victims of domestic violence. Today, police throughout the country are developing written policies and procedures on domestic violence and are instituting training programs which promote the use of arrest in those cases in which a crime has been committed.  

The pro-arrest police response is sensitive both to liability concerns and victim safety needs and is consistent with law enforcement’s primary goals of crime prevention and community protection.