The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), supported by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and in partnership with the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI), will carry out a national demonstration initiative with six U.S. law enforcement agencies to address gender bias in responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The initiative, Integrity, Action, and Justice: Strengthening Law Enforcement Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence, will provide dedicated resources and technical assistance to selected agencies. The Nampa Police Department has been selected as a demonstration site.
IACP, OVC, and NCVLI, as well as a cadre of subject matter experts, will work with the Nampa Police Department to assess agency efforts and strengthen response to and investigations of sexual assault, domestic/intimate partner violence, and stalking. In a collaborative approach, the Nampa Police Department will engage in needs assessment, strategic planning, implementation, and partnership-building while receiving ongoing training and technical assistance. The Nampa Police Department will help to create strategies, tools, and models of success to serve as a guide for law enforcement agencies nationwide.
This national demonstration initiative was created in response to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) document designed to provide guidance to law enforcement agencies in their efforts to address and prevent gender bias in response to sexual assault and domestic violence. The document, Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement’s Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, focuses on the need for clear policies, comprehensive training, and responsive supervision protocols and accountability systems in order to effectively investigate these crimes and support victims.
"This demonstration initiative is a significant step in assessing agency practices and creating collaborative partnerships to effectively respond to domestic violence and sexual assault," said IACP President Louis M. Dekmar, Chief of the LaGrange, Georgia, Police Department. "By implementing victim-centered policies, procedures, and training efforts, agencies will be able to address and respond to the needs of individuals, families, officers, and citizens in a way that ensures safety and best supports victims."
IACP will work with the Nampa Police Department to build the capacity of agency members in order to identify agency strengths, raise awareness of the existence of implicit and explicit gender bias, create sustainable strategies, develop partnerships and build community trust, and implement trauma-informed, victim-focused procedures agency-wide.
“We are proud to have been selected as a demonstration site for this initiative,” said Nampa Police Chief Joe Huff. “Our city will benefit from the outcome of the training and resources our department and officers will receive in the proper response, by law enforcement, to domestic/intimate partner violence, sexual assault and stalking cases. I am also very proud that our police department will be looked at as an example to other law enforcement agencies across the nation for the proper response and handling of these types of crimes.”
For more resources and additional details regarding available tools and training events to address violence against women, visit the IACP’s Violence Against Women Projects page or contact Tina Dimachkieh, IACP Project Manager, at [email protected].