PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a coordinated effort to improve the law enforcement response to non-fatal strangulation in the context of domestic violence.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH The authors compare law enforcement identification and documentation of strangulation in domestic violence cases before and after the implementation of a strangulation-specific training program in one Central Florida County.
FINDINGS The results indicate preliminary support for the effectiveness of training law enforcement, suggesting that the response to strangulation can be improved with comprehensive law enforcement training. Practical implications An improved response by law enforcement may have the potential to increase offender accountability of non-fatal strangulation - a potentially deadly assault.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE The study is the first to evaluate strangulation-specific training efforts of law enforcement.
RESULTS point to opportunities that can be taken to improve law enforcement's response to non-fatal strangulation in domestic violence.