Domestic Violence

1. PURPOSE
   To ensure compliance with Kansas law and to provide guidelines to all personnel in handling domestic violence situations.
2. DEFINITIONS:

   1. Domestic Violence
      Any harmful physical contact or threat thereof, or destruction of property between associated individuals or formerly associated individuals, used as a method of coercion, control, revenge, or punishment.
   2. Associated Individuals and Formerly Associated Individuals:
      1. Spouses, whether residing together or not;
      2. Former spouses, whether residing together or not;
      3. Persons who are involved in an ongoing, intimate relationship with each other, regardless of whether they currently live together or not
      4. Persons who have in the past had an ongoing, intimate relationship with each other, regardless of whether they lived together or not;
      5. Persons, eighteen years of age or older who are blood- or step-related to one another (e.g., father/daughter, step-son/step-father, brother/sister, etc.)
      6. Excludes office workers in situations most appropriately described as "harmonious relationships".
   3. Probable cause:
      Evidence, facts, and circumstances of a reasonably trustworthy nature which would warrant a law enforcement officer to believe that a person has committed or is committing a criminal offense. The probable cause standard applied to domestic violence crimes is no different from the standard applied to all other crimes.
      When an officer has probable cause to believe that a crime is being committed or has been committed, the officer shall make an arrest in accordance with K.S.A. 22-2401.