One of our recurring themes in this blog is that domestic violence is that charges involving domestic violence allegations happen to a broad array of people. As we pointed out before, domestic charges are so common that it is not uncommon for law enforcement to be among those charged.
The most recent such case in Bridgeport or the surrounding area occurred last week. A 47-year-old New Haven police officer is facing domestic violence charges after his wife filed a complaint.
The charges filed include third-degree assault and first-degree threatening. Of course, domestic violence cases sometimes involve children as well as wives or girlfriends. In this case, in addition to assault and threatening, the accusations also include risk of injury to a minor.
The officer, who has worked for the New Haven police department for 14 years, has been assigned to perform administrative tasks while the complaint is investigated. The investigation will be done by the department's internal affairs office.
After his wife's complaint was filed, the officer turned himself in. He is cooperating with the investigation. A court has also ordered the officer to turn in his duty weapons and he has done so.
Are law enforcement officers held to higher standards than ordinary citizens when it comes to domestic abuse allegations? There is certainly nothing in the law formally requiring that. But it is certainly possible that particular law enforcement agencies could be especially concerned with prosecution when one of their own is allegedly involved. They could even be overly vigilant in some cases.
Source: "New Haven Officer Accused of Domestic Violence," NBC Connecticut, 1-29-13
Our firm handles situations similar to those discussed in this post. To learn more about our practice, please visit our Bridgeport domestic violence defense page.
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