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Published: 1994

Total Pages: 84

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California Penal Code Section 13519 requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to establish guidelines and training for law enforcement's response to domestic violence. This report prescribes those guidelines and the training curriculum required for recruit and in-service officers. Overall, California legislation pertinent to domestic violence addresses it as a serious crime and assures victims the maximum protection from abuse that the law and those who enforce it can provide. The guidelines presented are under the topical categories of enforcement of laws, felony arrest, misdemeanor arrest, private person's arrest, reporting, restraining/protective orders, tenancy, victim assistance, seizure of firearms, and officer safety. The training curriculum consists of the following topics and hours of instruction for each topic: overview of domestic violence, 1.5 hours; legislative intent/POST guidelines, 1.0 hour; enforcement of laws, 1.5 hours; court orders, 1.0 hour; tenancy, 0.5 hours; documenting domestic violence incidents, 0.5 hours; victim assistance and referral, 0.5 hours; and practical application/student evaluation, 1.5 hours. A total of 8 hours is required for instruction. A 21- item bibliography and the texts of relevant California law.