Instilling Accountability Through actions, words, and decisions, agency leaders present a clear and consistent message regarding the prioritization of addressing crimes of violence against women. The accountability checklist below can be used to assess current department efforts regarding VAW crimes as well as future priorities.
n n ctio Actio A t n re ure Cur Fut Auditing Processes Audit reports of VAW crimes Regularly assess agency policies related to VAW Audit CAD reports o Dispatch to final disposition comparison o Time on call o Evidence preserved Examine agency accessibility for victim reporting Monitor sexual assault case clearance rates (Chapter 3, “False Reports: Moving Beyond the Issue to Successfully Investigate and Prosecute Non‐Stranger Sexual Assault”)
Audit cultural messages regarding VAW internal to agency Include VAW information on promotional tests Screen for VAW in hiring procedures Assess sexual assault and DV cases for stalking Review accuracy of VAW training curricula and effectiveness of trainers Assess DV cases for sexual assault Commendation and a ard s stem for ork regarding VAW Commendation and award system for work regarding VAW
Crime Intervention Consistently arrest perpetrators Enforce orders of protection Inquire about presence of firearms Employ lethality checklists (Chapter 7, “Lethality Assessment Program for First Responders: Learning to Read the Danger Signs”)
Develop multi‐disciplinary response teams Address victims’ needs/safety concerns Incorporate early warning systems for identifying officer‐offender ( Chapter 1, “Early Warning Systems: Responding to the Problem Police Officer”)
Perform internal investigations (Chapter 1, “Investigation of Public Complaints Part II: Receiving and Processing Complaints” and “Investigation of Employee Misconduct, Model Policy & Discussion Paper”) Utilize administrative orders (Chapter 5, “Administrative Orders of Protection”)
Community Inclusion Bring advocates and victims into agency discussions, training, policy development Provide department contacts and systems for communication with the community Provide timely safety alerts to community Make appropriate victim referrals More information can be found on the Leadership Institute Resource Flashdrive. National Law Enforcement Leadership Institute on Violence Against Women