LOS ANGELES : Council Urges New LAPD Domestic Violence Policy
The City Council formally asked the Police Department Wednesday to overhaul its procedures for handling tens of thousands of domestic violence cases each year.
“In 1992, there were some 43,000 911 calls about domestic violence,” said Councilman Marvin Braude, chairman of the Public Safety Committee. “Of those calls, some 20,000 were prosecuted by the city attorney, an unusually large number, probably more than in most cities anywhere in the country.”
The LAPD started drafting a plan last month to link police, prosecutors and nonprofit agencies in a pilot program aimed at reducing domestic violence. Braude presented Wednesday’s vote as an affirmation of the LAPD’s efforts.
One component of the pilot program involves notifying shelters and counselors for battered women at the same time that officers respond to a call, said Cmdr. John White. As part of the program, the LAPD will create an investigative unit for domestic violence cases, including child abuse and rape, White said.
The pilot program could be launched in South Los Angeles within a month or two, White said.
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