Domestic Violence & Family Crisis Response Flashcards

Under Pennsylvania's Protection from Abuse Act (23 Pa.C.S. § 6113), a law enforcement officer MUST make an arrest when responding to a domestic violence situation if:

Answer: The officer has probable cause to believe a PFA order has been violated

Pennsylvania law mandates arrest when an officer has probable cause to believe a Protection from Abuse order has been violated. While officers have discretionary arrest authority for underlying criminal offenses with probable cause, a PFA violation triggers a mandatory arrest obligation — the officer has no discretion to issue a warning or citation instead.

A domestic violence victim at the scene tells the officer, 'I don't want him arrested — please just make him leave for the night.' The officer has probable cause that an assault occurred. The officer should:

Answer: Arrest the suspect based on probable cause, regardless of the victim's preference

In Pennsylvania domestic violence cases, the arrest decision belongs to the officer — not the victim. The officer acts on behalf of the Commonwealth, not the victim. Victim non-cooperation or refusal to press charges does not prevent arrest when probable cause exists. Allowing victim preference to override probable cause undermines the purposes of mandatory intervention laws.

When documenting injuries at a domestic violence scene, which practice is MOST important for supporting prosecution if the victim later recants?

Answer: Photographing all visible injuries and documenting the victim's demeanor, statements, and condition at the scene

Thorough objective documentation — photographs of injuries, observations of the victim's demeanor (crying, shaking, fearful), and verbatim excited utterances — creates an evidence base that can support a victimless prosecution if the victim later recants or refuses to testify. Spontaneous statements made at the scene may also be admissible as excited utterances.

A temporary Protection from Abuse order (TPFA) is issued ex parte (without the defendant present). Under Pennsylvania law, this order is valid for:

Answer: Until a full hearing is held, which must be scheduled within 10 business days

A temporary (emergency) PFA order remains in effect until the court holds a full hearing at which both parties may be present, which must be scheduled within 10 business days. The TPFA is an emergency bridge measure. Officers must understand this timeline because violating even a temporary order triggers mandatory arrest.

Research shows that which type of physical assault during domestic violence is a particularly strong predictor of future lethality and requires special documentation and medical referral?

Answer: Strangulation (choking)

Strangulation is one of the strongest predictors of future lethal violence in domestic abuse situations. Additionally, internal injuries from strangulation (petechiae, internal hemorrhage, tracheal damage) may not produce visible bruising immediately but can be life-threatening. Pennsylvania criminalizes strangulation as a separate offense under 18 Pa.C.S. § 2718, and officers should request medical evaluation for all strangulation victims.

Officers responding to domestic violence calls separate the parties before conducting interviews. The PRIMARY reason for this practice is:

Answer: To prevent the abuser from intimidating, coaching, or threatening the victim during questioning

Separating parties at a DV scene removes the abuser's ability to intimidate, signal, or verbally coach the victim during the officer's questioning. Victims are more likely to disclose the true nature of the abuse when the abuser cannot hear or see them. Failure to separate parties is one of the most common critical errors in domestic violence response.