Bill Text: HI HR17 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Honolulu Police Department; Family Violence Unit; Domestic Violence; Training

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-3)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-12 - The committee(s) on JUD recommend(s) that the measure be deferred. [HR17 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2015-HR17-Introduced.html

---

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	17
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the honolulu police department to establish a family violence unit staffed with officers specifically trained to handle all complaints of family violence.

 

 

     WHEREAS, domestic violence is an epidemic affecting individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic status, race, religion, nationality, or educational background; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime; and

 

     WHEREAS, domestic violence is one of the most chronically underreported crimes; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to a federal Bureau of Justice Statistics Factbook, the most common reasons given by domestic violence victims for not contacting the police included victims fearing retaliation, considering an incident a private or personal matter, or believing the police would not be able to do anything about an incident; and

 

     WHEREAS, a victim of officer-involved domestic violence may be more hesitant to report abuse for a number of reasons, including fears of retaliation or lack of confidence the victim will be treated fairly by an officer's colleagues; and

 

     WHEREAS, other police departments throughout the nation and elsewhere in the world have set up specific divisions to handle domestic violence cases, such as the Houston Police Department's Family Violence Unit and the Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Desk; and

 

     WHEREAS, these specific divisions can help ensure that domestic violence incidents are treated in the same professional manner as other crimes and requests for police service; and

 

     WHEREAS, establishing a family violence division within the Honolulu Police Department will help reduce violence, ensure compassionate assistance to victims, and enable more effective prosecution of abusers; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that the Honolulu Police Department is requested to establish a family violence unit staffed with officers specifically trained to handle all complaints of family violence; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the officers within the family violence unit should be able to respond to initial calls for service based on domestic violence, be well-equipped to assist victims of domestic violence, and ensure the effective enforcement of the State's domestic violence laws; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the officers within the family violence unit should be separate from the detectives of the Department's Criminal Investigation Division's child abuse and domestic violence detail; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the family violence unit should be staffed with female police officers who have undergone appropriate training, including gender-sensitive training, so that they are best equipped with the knowledge, training, and skills needed to assist victims of domestic violence; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Honolulu Police Department is urged to explore federal opportunities, including the federal S.T.O.P. Violence Against Women formula grant program, for assistance with funding the family violence unit; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chief of the Honolulu Police Department.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Honolulu Police Department; Family Violence Unit; Domestic Violence; Training