Lt. J.W. Berg is Tucker’s liaison to the DeKalb County Police Department and can be contacted by email at jwberg@dekalbcountyga.gov or by phone at (678) 597-9040.
As I mentioned in last October’s “On the Beat” article, responding to incidents of domestic violence is one of the most heartbreaking and difficult things we do as police officers. Being human, our officers often find it easy to empathize with a victim of physical or emotional abuse. Many of us have had at least one sibling, parent, child, friend or someone else we have known that has suffered from being in a dysfunctional – or worse – relationship. However, as professional law enforcement officers, we are always required to be objective and thorough in every decision we make; being “fair but firm” and making our decisions based on facts and not emotions.
Fortunately, in addition to our own natural empathy, throughout our careers we receive a great amount of training in how to respond to incidents of domestic violence. Beginning as recruits in our highly regarded, 26-week long Police Academy in Lithonia, our officers receive over 40 hours of instruction specifically on the laws and dynamics of family violence. While at the Academy, the recruits are also required to participate in frequent realistic “role playing” scenarios to further fine tune their interpersonal skills when responding to the variety of emotional 911 calls that they will be responding to upon graduation. In addition, all DeKalb County Police Department recruits graduating our Police Academy are required to complete a weeklong, state-mandated Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training course. This intensive course involves classroom instruction, site visits to mental health facilities and additional role playing activities. While not geared specifically toward domestic violence, the skills learned in this advanced class further help to guide us in our response to a variety of situations including those involving family members that may be suffering from addiction or mental illness.
We are also fortunate that the State of Georgia takes family violence very seriously. Over the years, Georgia has enacted a specific set of laws that direct law enforcement in how to respond to calls of abusive family relationships. In the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.), section 19-13-1 defines what relationships qualify under “family violence”. This code section goes on to describe the criminal laws that are frequently violated in these abusive relationships, often situations where the police have been called out to help. O.C.G.A. 17-4-20 and 17-4-20.1 further delineate when and how law enforcement officers are to intervene when responding to incidents of domestic violence. More recently, in January 2021, Georgia further clarified this code section, adding in language and guidance to help law enforcement officers when they encounter situations involving violence from both parties in a relationship.
While the space here does not allow me to go into all the laws and circumstances that guide our officers when responding to domestic violence calls, I do want you to understand that the family violence laws in Georgia and our DeKalb Police policies are clear: we will respond to the call, investigate thoroughly, document the situation and, if probable cause is found that an act of family violence occurred, we will make an arrest. The cycle and dynamics of domestic violence that we know from both our personal experiences and that we learn about in our training must be broken. It is part of the oath that we take to “protect and serve”.
If you or someone you know is suffering in an abusive relationship, I encourage you to obtain help. There are a variety of resources out there, from statewide hotlines (1-800-334-2836 – the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence) to more local resources (404-688-9436 – the Women’s Resource Center www.wrcgv.org) based here in DeKalb County. Of course, if the situation arises, we are also here to help, beginning with a call to 911.
GEORGIA LAWS TO KNOW IN 2022
O.C.G.A. 40-5-33 Change of Address or Name. The law reads in part:
“Whenever any person, after applying for or receiving a driver’s license, shall move from the address named in such application or in the license issued to him or her or when the name of a licensee is changed by marriage or otherwise, such person shall apply to the department for a license showing the correct name or address within 60 days. Failure to change the name or address shall not deem the license invalid…”
NOTE: This law was enacted to ensure that if a traffic ticket must be issued, or some other official document needs to be forwarded, the State of Georgia has your correct address/name on file. While your driver’s license is still valid, our officers can and may issue you a traffic citation under this code section to kindly encourage you to update your information with the State.
