The Brown Deer, Wisconsin, police department has come under fire following an incident that left four people dead at a Brookfield salon in October. Law enforcement experts say the department’s lax enforcement of domestic violence laws may have contributed to the incident, during which a man killed his estranged wife and two others before killing himself. The police department declined to arrest the man in connection with two prior incidents of domestic assault against his wife, one occurring just weeks before the deadly shooting. Experts say the department’s failure to enforce Wisconsin’s mandatory arrest law put the public at risk.
Wisconsin has one of the most comprehensive domestic violence laws in the nation; while domestic incidents are sometimes intertwined with divorce issues, many victims of domestic violence end up telling police that nothing is wrong. Pursuant to state statute, police must arrest domestic violence suspects even if the victim is uncooperative. Victim rights advocates say mandatory arrest laws are important because victims of physical abuse often fail to cooperate with police out of fear of their abuser and to protect themselves from further harm.
The Wisconsin law also requires local departments to have a written policy on how to handle domestic violence and to file reports in cases where no arrest was made to explain why. An official from the district attorney’s office in Milwaukee County said his office has not received any such reports from Brown Deer. Lawmakers are now looking at ways to add more accountability to the current laws to better protect victims of domestic violence.
If a person has experienced spousal abuse, including physical abuse, stalking, or emotional abuse, they should seek legal help. An experienced family law attorney can help an abused spouse get out of the situation and obtain a restraining order against the abuser.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “With no oversight, police can ignore domestic violence laws,” Gina Barton and John Diedrich, Nov. 3, 2012
