1) Discuss issues of domestic violence
2) Discuss how best to respond to the following case:
A male who seems tired and disoriented is found wandering along a side street. The officer brings the male to the police station in order to determine the best course of action. The male is informed that he is not under arrest, just that the officer is taking him to the department so that he can be more comfortable. On the way to the station and at the station, the male recounts being assaulted by his wife. He states that he has hit her once or twice during their marriage, but has “only slapped her.” He says that he has not had any recent altercations with her, but that earlier today, while he was in bed, she hit him over the head repeatedly with a hard object that he believes may have been a metal cooking pan. He says that he remembers very little between the time of this assault and the time he was picked up by the officer on the street.
His story has some unusual aspects and seems to run counter to a number of trends observed in domestic violence. However, this does not necessarily mean that the events described by the man did not occur. What actions would you take as the officer in this case?
