Domestic Violence

*To take the corresponding CDE quiz, visit the College of Emergency Dispatch.*

“My husband just threw me down and spit in my face. He just tried to choke me.”¹ 

“My dad is beating up my mom. I’m just scared. I saw him shake her and grab her. He almost broke her neck. He’s done this before. One time there was blood all over the bedroom (baby crying in the background).”²

“He held me down and shouted at me, and when I struggled to get loose, he hit me.”³ 

These are the brave voices that echo in the face of domestic violence, choosing to pick up the phone when there is danger in doing so. As the Emergency Police Dispatcher (EPD), you are the first person to respond to their fear and pain—the truth of what is happening to them. 

In the United States, an average of 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, with more than 12 million women and men over the course of a single year.⁴ Of these victims, women ages 18 to 35 experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence; most of them have been previously victimized by the same offender.⁵ 

EPDs serve as a crucial link between the domestic violence victim and responders preparing to enter the scene. As such, your ability to take cues from the caller, listen compassionately, and collect critical scene safety information is essential to best protect victims and prepare responders in what is likely to be a volatile situation. 

According to statistics provided by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch^® (IAED^™) Data Center, nearly 7% of Police Priority Dispatch System^™ (PPDS^®) calls are handled on Protocol 114: Domestic Disturbance/Violence. In 2024, these incidents accounted for 190,931 calls across 100 agencies. 

However, 40% of domestic violence victims never contact the police,⁶ often citing fear of retaliation, experiencing debilitating emotional abuse and isolation, or developing lack of trust in authorities believing them or offering sufficient protection.

Conversely, some 911 calls represent yet another escalated incident at an address that shows a history of instability and prior altercations. When a victim has taken action to leave an abusive relationship, this is notoriously the most dangerous time because the abuser may feel they are losing ownership or control of the victim and/or family. In each case, understanding this background can help you handle a call for help. 

Understanding the caller and the scene 

“Domestic violence can happen to anyone,” said Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts, USA) conversation analyst Dr. Heidi Kevoe-Feldman. With a background in crisis negotiation, she’s been analyzing real-time 911 calls since 2002 and has built customized training programs that highlight best practices for better outcomes in emergency call handling. 

“It’s hard to pick up that phone,” she said. “Sometimes victims are so disoriented with their hearts pounding. They can’t describe where they are or what happened. Try to take a deep breath with them and encourage them to talk, keeping the focus on them and their eyes on the ground for officers arriving on scene.” 

Approaching protocol questions with a conversational tone can help the caller feel more comfortable. The first Key Questions on Protocol 114 help identify scene safety issues, including “Does anyone have access to weapons?”. This information is essential, as over half of all intimate partner homicides are committed with firearms.⁷ In fact, the presence of a gun in domestic violence situations increases the risk of homicide for women by 500%.⁸

Sending police to a domestic violence incident brings a very public face to a private matter, which is why these situations are highly dangerous for responding officers. When dealing with already elevated emotions, there’s a tendency for abusers to erupt with anger at the potential of being arrested.⁹ What may begin as a verbal disturbance can quickly become physical. 

“These situations can be very risky, especially if the abuser is nearby,” Kevoe-Feldman said. “Sometimes adrenaline renders victims confused, shocked, and afraid.” 

Gaining information at the scene, such as the suspect’s location and description, can be difficult yet critical to help responders in an otherwise unfamiliar territory where the abuser is (most often) in their private domain. 

FBI statistics show that an average of 4,194 officer assaults occur annually from domestic violence calls. The risk is at its highest when the suspect is unemployed and intoxicated, resides with the victim, has just damaged property, and displays a hostile demeanor when officers arrive.¹⁰ Preparation is needed to face these dynamic and dangerous environments. 

"We have a lack of training when it comes to taking domestic violence calls," said Dominique Mathis, former Florida (USA) public safety telecommunicator, founder of Hello, 911!^®, and a facilitator and expert in public safety telecommunications. "We strive to meet the caller in their darkest moments." 

Mathis' personal experiences of trauma have inspired her to "break the cycle" with courage and passion to help others. She recalls taking a call from a mother as her child's father was shooting at her car with the child inside. "I understood her plea," she said. "We rely on the protocols we have in place, but we connect with people with compassion and clarity in our voice." 

Asking the caller “Are you or anyone else in danger right now?” can elicit critical information while simultaneously showing care for the caller. If the caller answers affirmatively that she or he is in danger, you may turn to Protocol C: Caller in Danger to address safety concerns and communicate through “yes or no” questions or tapping on the phone, if needed and possible. 

You must approach these interactions delicately. “We need to ask ourselves what could possibly be going on at the scene,” Mathis said. “What is the caller not saying?” 

When asking about children in the home, or when dealing with a child caller reporting domestic violence, consider how the factors of children present or an infant in arms could change the dynamics and priorities for police arriving on scene. 

Children may be caught in the cross fire of parental altercations, especially if infants and toddlers are held in a parent's arms. Older children, on the other hand, may be injured while trying to intervene to stop a fight.¹¹ (Asking where the children are located is a Jurisdictionally Approved Question (JAQ) that may or may not appear depending on agency policy and responders’ needs.) 

Further JAQs include the Key Questions that address the use of alcohol or drugs and the acts of strangling or choking to identify higher risk factors. Strangulation is one of the most lethal forms of violence. The risk for intimate partner homicide for individuals who experience strangulation increases by 700%.¹² Even 7 to 10 seconds of strangulation can cause unconsciousness, 15 seconds of strangulation can lead to stroke, 1-30 seconds of strangulation can lead to cardiac arrest, and 4-5 minutes of strangulation can lead to brain death.¹³

Sending help and providing instructions

At the completion of the caller interrogation, the EPD must send the appropriate Determinant Code depending on the nature of the disturbance, the timeframe in which it occurred, and the relationship of the people involved, as defined on Protocol 114. The IAED Data Center shows that the most common Determinant Codes on Protocol 114 are 114-D-2 “Verbal DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE” (31.85%) and 114-D-1 “Physical DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE” (29.17%). The EPD should assign a suffix, if applicable, to indicate W=Weapon, E=EMS needed, X=Both Weapon and EMS needed, C=Strangled or choked, etc.

Second only to sending informed help, providing Post-Dispatch Instructions (PDIs) is the most critical thing the EPD can do for the caller. Depending on the situation, PDIs guide the caller to separate themselves from the suspect and avoid further contact, lock doors and windows (if applicable), refrain from letting the suspect back in, preserve evidence by not disturbing anything at the scene, and have paperwork available for responding officers (e.g., restraining order—this is a Jurisdictionally Approved Instruction). It’s also critical for the caller to understand not to approach officers with weapons in hand (even in self-defense).

Following the protocol exactly still doesn’t enable the EPD to fully control what is happening on the other end. Mathis recalled answering a call from an elderly woman who reported her son had assaulted her. He fled the scene and a high-speed chase ensued, ending with the man killing his girlfriend in the garage with her two young children at home.

“I kept asking myself, ‘Is there something more I could have done?’” Mathis said. But these moments can’t be predicted or prevented over the phone, even while utilizing every tactic to connect with the caller, practicing active listening, sending an informed response, and providing instructions. “We put forth every effort to process these calls in a timely manner, recognizing what is at risk,” she said. “We have to live with the outcome and continue to answer the call of those in need.” 

Conclusion 

One of the best ways to improve domestic violence interrogation and dispatch procedures is for EPDs and law enforcement to communicate how and when responders need critical information relayed. Just as the “patient chain of survival” is used to discuss each link from caller to hospital staff in CPR patients, the domestic violence victim must be treated compassionately with each link to secure their safety and prevent their abuser from having further access to them and additional victims.

“Sometimes training needs to go outside the 911 center,” Mathis said. “We have to connect with our partners in our community to build trust as a united system to help the defenseless.” 

Sources 

1. “911 / Emergency Call Taking Audio Recordings.” National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence. ncdsv.org/911-audio-recordings.html (accessed April 25, 2025). 

2. See note 1. 

3. “Physical abuse - Jenny's story.” Finding Legal Options for Women Survivors. flows.org.uk/support-for-women/am-i-being-abused/case-studies (accessed April 25, 2025). 

4. “Domestic Violence Statistics.” National Domestic Violence Hotline. thehotline. org/stakeholders/domestic-violence-statistics (accessed April 25, 2025). 

5. See note 4. 

6. Huecker, M.R., King, K.C., Jordan, G.A., Smock, W. “Domestic Violence.” StatPearls Publishing. 2025; January. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499891 (accessed April 25, 2025).

7. “Firearm Violence in the United States.” Center for Gun Violence Solutions. Johns Hopkins University. 2024. publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-gunviolence-solutions/research-reports/gun-violence-in-the-united-states (accessed April 25, 2025). 

8. “Guns and Domestic Violence.” DomesticShelters.org. 2015; Oct. 6. domesticshelters.org/articles/statistics/guns-and-domesticviolence#infographic-modal (accessed April 25, 2025). 

9. Tucker, E. “Domestic incidents are highly dangerous for police officers, experts say.” CNN. 2022; Jan. 22. cnn.com/2022/01/22/us/domestic-incidents-policeofficers-danger/index.html (accessed April 25, 2025). 

10. See note 9. 

11. Bair-Merritt, M.H. “Intimate Partner Violence.” Pediatrics in Review. 2010; April 1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2943729 (accessed April 25, 2025). 

12. “Strangulation.” Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women. 2025. csvanw. org/focus-areas/trainings-and-education/gender-based-violence/strangulation (accessed April 25, 2025). 

13. See note 12.