Addressing Data Challenges to Prevent Domestic Homicide

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Can you describe the capstone project you worked on during your time with the Policing Leadership Academy?

After searching for domestic homicides in our data, I learned they’re not denoted as domestic homicides in the City of Madison – all homicides were simply denoted as homicides. I worked with our violent crimes unit to identify the homicides that were considered domestic, and I found that almost half of our homicides in the city were domestic homicides. From there, I started thinking about how we could reduce these kinds of homicides using a group called the Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS). This is clearly a public health problem. I wanted to know, what can we do here?

Fostering collaboration is part of the PLA’s mission. How important is it to have support from outside partners to successfully address your capstone challenge?

Right now, we’re in the process of applying for a federal grant to set up a domestic violence unit, and having support from external partners is essential for providing better support for domestic violence victims. Ultimately, I want people to know that addressing domestic violence isn’t just the police’s job—it’s a community effort, which is why it is necessary to partner with others.

What problem within the department were you aiming to address with your capstone? And what results are you seeing so far?

As a department, we were looking to reduce domestic violence-related homicides, specifically those in intimate partner relationships. In the 6 months since graduating from the PLA, we’ve seen zero domestic homicides, which is encouraging, but it’s hard to attribute that solely to our efforts. We’ve implemented various strategies like training officers on best practices and improving response times through panic buttons, which may have contributed to this decline. And while it’s hard to measure the direct impact, even preventing one homicide would represent a 10% decrease.

What would this new unit do that you’re not able to do now?

The proposed new unit would specifically handle domestic violence cases, which don’t currently have a dedicated unit. As a department, we could be doing a better job following up on active cases. With this unit, such cases would be assigned and may reduce the risk of tragic incidents. Additionally, the unit would collaborate closely with advocates from organizations like DAIS to ensure a comprehensive approach where both law enforcement and supportive services work together to address domestic violence.

Learn more about the capstone