California Statistics on Domestic Violence Calls to Law Enforcement
According to the California Department of Justice (DOJ), there were over 160,000 domestic violence-related calls for assistance in 2020. This was down slightly from the previous year when there were 161,123 total DV-related calls.
As noted by the DOJ of the total calls last year, in 88,018 of them there was no weapon involved. In 72,628 of the calls, there was some form of weapon including the use of a personal weapon such as the hands or feet.
DOJ statistics for 2020 show:
- A firearm was used involved in 1,974 of the domestic violence-related calls for assistance.
- A knife or cutting instrument was involved in 3,361 of the calls.
- A weapon classified as “other dangerous weapon” was involved in 11,028 of the calls.
- A personal weapon such as the hands or feet was used in 56,265 of the calls.
It is important to note that the penal code does not require that the type of weapon be reported. It is also widely believed that a large portion of domestic violence incidents goes unreported each year.
Help in Family Law Matters
Domestic violence cases are widespread and can have both criminal and family law implications. GPS monitoring can be used to assist in family law matters where an offender is ordered to stay away from a victim. Depending on the situation, law enforcement or another supervisory agency can monitor the person’s whereabouts ensuring that they do not enter an exclusion zone.
Courts across California have utilized SCRAM (Continuous Alcohol Monitoring) and GPS location monitoring on family law matters to ensure the safety of individuals involved in domestic violence matters, custody disputes, and more.