Policewomen, Policemen, or Both?: Recruitment and Training Implications for Responses to Woman Battering

Abstract

Since the 1970s, police training and recruitment has been impacted by two feminist concerns: the low number of female officers and charges of ineffective responses to women victims of male violence. This study analyzes 324 law enforcement officers' responses as to whether policewomen, policemen, or a combination are best suited to respond to woman battering overall, battering victims, and batterers. In addition, the analysis accounts for the relationship between officers' demographic characteristics and their responses. In short, the findings of this study suggest that policemen are less enthusiastic about policewomen's contributions to policing woman battering, than policewomen are of policemen's contributions. Further, the only demographic characteristics related to the officers' responses are their sex and departmental affiliation. (Officers' race, age, education, rank, shift, years of experience, and SES were unrelated to their responses.)