Staneski Lauds Bill Protecting Victims Of Domestic Violence

MILFORD, CT - From the Connecticut House Republicans: Today State Rep. Pam Staneski (Milford & Orange) strongly supported bi-partisan legislation that changes Connecticut’s existing intimate partner violence dual arrest law to a add a ‘dominant aggressive’ provision. Current statistics show that CT has a 20% dual arrest (aggressor and victim arrested) rate. The intent of the mandatory arrest policy was to remove discretion at the incident scene. However, it came with unintended consequences—victims being arrested too!

The legislation, SB-466, An Act Concerning Dual Arrests and the Training Required of Law Enforcement Personnel with Respect to Domestic Violence passed 147-1 in the House of Representatives.

A dual arrest occurs when both parties are arrested for a family violence offense after police intervention and investigation. Connecticut’s dual arrest rate is double national rates. Victims of domestic violence have experienced first-hand the unintended consequences of dual arrest when they make the call to have police intervene—small children who just witnessed a parent being abused are traumatized when both parents are carted away in police cars, public reporting of the arrest result in ‘quiet’ gossip among neighbors, and many feeling victimized all over again.

“With today’s final House vote we are telling victims of domestic violence that they can call the police and ask for their help without fear of being arrested and empower them to become survivors. As I said on the House floor, an arrest of a victim can humiliate and have long-term negative consequences. We need to instead support our domestic violence victims not criminalize them.” Rep. Staneski said, “I certainly understand the concern expressed by some of our police officers around the liability that can come when an arrest is not made, especially when our statutory language dictates an arrest in response to an incident of family violence. These are emotionally charged situations; however, asking the state to allow police officers some discretion in handling the incident by adding a ‘dominant aggressive’ provision will help reduce the harmful impact on victims and their families.”

The proposal that the group supports is before the Judiciary Committee and call for changing Connecticut’s family violence arrest law to clarify that, when receiving complaints from two or more opposing parties, law enforcement must determine which party is the dominant aggressor. Such laws exists in 27 other states and guide law enforcement in determining which party is the most significant aggressor or poses the most serious ongoing threat.

The bill now heads to the governor for his signature.

Photo courtesy of Connecticut House Republicans