If you are a victim of police violence and have ever tried to get help, you may have discovered that there is a wealth of information and resources available to women who have experienced violence at the hands of civilian men, but little for women whose abusers are police officers. When resources recommend that you call the police, make a police report, get a protective order, press charges, and/or flee to a local shelter you may think, "I can't call the police; he is the police!" or "Who's going to enforce a protective order against a police officer?" or "What prosecutor is going to prosecute a cop?"

You know that while the police and the criminal justice system may protect some women some of the time, they certainly fail to protect many others. If you, too, are in law enforcement, you face additional complications. If you are a person of color, not a U.S. citizen, or LGBTQ+, you may feel more threatened by the criminal justice system than by your partner's violence.

Focusing on your survival means that you have decided to regain trust in your own thought processes, intuition, and your own gut feelings. There are no easy answers. The fact that many women have survived domestic violence at the hands of a police officer attests to the fact that your escape and your survival are possible. The information presented here will help you make sense of what can be a crazy-making situation. The more you understand what is happening to you and why, the more you will be able to protect yourself, be your own best advocate, and regain control of your life.