Policy Text
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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5.4 Domestic Violence Investigations
5.4.2 Initial Response and Investigation (Revised: 2/4/09)
A. Two officers will be dispatched to all domestic disturbance calls. Upon receipt of a
domestic disturbance complaint, officers shall respond without delay.
B. Upon arrival, officers will summon medical attention if needed for any injuries.
C. Upon securing the scene, officers must determine whether or not a violation of the law
has occurred.
D. If a law violation is determined to ha ve occurred and is followed by an arrest, a
comprehensive investigative report must be made.
1. In addition to other pertinent information, officers shall describe the victim’s
emotional state at the time of her/his statement in the reports.
2. If the victim is still upset, officers will attempt to audiotape the statement of the
victim. The recording will not only capture the victim’s emotional state but will
record precisely what the victim actually said. If taping is impractical, the officer
will make a detailed written report of the statement as opposed to an “in -
substance” summary.
3. Officers will inquire of previous incidents of domestic violence between the
involved parties and document such information in their report.
4. If the victim ca lled 9 -1-1 to report the domestic violence, the reporting officer will
make a written request to the ECC Supervisor to make a copy of the call. The
ECC Supervisor shall label the recording with the suspect’s name and the case
number and then direct it to t he investigating officer, who will place the tape in
Evidence as soon as possible.
5. If the incident involves physical assault, photographs will be taken of any injuries
to the victim.
a. The officer will follow up at a later date to photograph and docume nt
bruises or other injuries that were not visible on the date of the initial
investigation.
6. Investigating officers will establish if a child was present during the incident and
if the child is a potential witness. The identity of any child witness will be
included in the investigative report. The child will be interviewed about what
he/she heard or saw.
7. All investigative reports of domestic violence situations that result in an arrest
will be completed prior to the end of shift. The report will be fo rwarded to the
District Attorney’s office on the next business day.
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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E. If a law violation is determined, all victims and witnesses shall be given a “Marsy’s
Rights” card along with additional assistance and resources referenced in General Order
4.6.17, “V ictim/Witness Assistance.”