Police officers are people capable of violence, just like any other member of the public. In fact, police are at least as likely to perpetrate domestic violence as the general community (Larsen and Guggisberg, 2009). But if domestic violence is under-reported, abuse by police officers is near invisible. 

While senior officers claim to hold members of the police force to high standards, behind closed doors, fellow offers can treat “badged abusers” differently to offenders in the broader community. They may fail to take action against their colleagues, which fuels a culture of impunity in police forces and leaves victims at risk. 

As such, some states offer unique internal reporting processes to hold officers who commit violence to account.