Evaluating a Victim-Centered Approach to Policing Intimate Partner Violence

Assessing the Impact of Houston Police Department’s Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) Program

Rising Intimate Partner Violence Calls for a Victim-Centered Police Response

Intimate partner violence is a persistent public health issue and a significant concern within the criminal justice system with serious consequences for victims. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, nearly 46% of women and 26% of men have experienced some form of intimate partner violence during their lifetime1. The impact of this violence can lead to both immediate and long-term harm, including death.

Data from the 2021 National Violent Death Reporting System revealed that intimate partner violence was a contributing factor in over 40% of homicide cases involving a female victim. In Houston, Texas, the situation has escalated alarmingly, with intimate partner violence-related homicides rising from 44 in 2019, to 54 in 2020, and reaching 81 in 2021. These statistics highlight the urgent need for innovative solutions and targeted interventions to combat intimate partner violence and protect victims in our communities. 

Houston Police Department forms Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) Program to Respond to Intimate Partner Violence

In direct response to increased rates and severity of intimate partner violence cases, the Houston Police Department (HPD) developed a Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) program. Modeled after a similar program developed by the Los Angeles Police Department, Houston’s DART program is an innovative approach that combines the emerging trends of law enforcement-based victim advocacy and co-response models to address intimate partner violence in Houston.

DART involves the collaborative co-response of both sworn law enforcement officers and non-sworn systems-based victim advocates dispatched together to respond to scenes of intimate partner violence calls for service. DART was piloted in select HPD patrol areas in 2019 and became a city-wide program in 2020.

How a Victim-Centered Co-Responder Model Works in Practice

Once on the scene, the DART officer consults with the primary patrol officer to understand the situation and ensure it is safe for the advocate to meet with the victim. After the scene is deemed secure, the DART advocate introduces themselves to the victim, and if the victim consents, the advocate provides a variety of services, including safety assessments, emergency shelter, food, transportation, a warm handoff to community-based advocates, and free medical forensic exams all with a trauma-informed and victim-centered approach.      

DART teams are available to provide an immediate on-scene response from 7:00pm to 3:00am 7 days a week. If a call that is eligible for a DART-Houston response occurs outside of their availability, the case is referred to victim services and an advocate will follow up with that victim via phone within 24 hours. This is known as a delayed follow-up response. 

RTI Evaluates Houston Police Department's DART Program

In collaboration with the Houston Police Department, RTI is conducting a comprehensive implementation assessment and outcome evaluation of DART, with the goal of informing best practices in the implementation of intimate partner violence co-responder models for other jurisdictions. The study started in 2024 and is ongoing. The study objectives are divided into two phases:

• Phase 1: Conduct an implementation and fidelity assessment of the program model, incorporating key stakeholder perspectives to identify facilitators and challenges with implementing the program as designed.
• Phase 2: Conduct a rigorous evaluation of DART’s impacts on intimate partner violence lethality, revictimization, and service utilization, and the extent to which these outcomes vary by the type of DART-Houston response and victim, incident, and community characteristics. 

During Phase 1, our research team and HPD developed a logic model for DART, which provided a framework for the implementation assessment and outcome evaluation activities. The research team conducted semi-structured interviews with DART-Houston staff, program partners, non-DART-Houston police officers, and prior DART-Houston participants to better understand experiences with and perceptions of immediate and delayed DART service models.

Utilizing data collected in Phase 1, the research team developed an implementation guide to provide HPD with documentation of DART’s core components, the activities in each component, and the resources needed to complete each activity. Additionally, the research team will develop a replication guide for other jurisdictions to understand the elements necessary to develop their own DART program. 

During Phase 2, our research team will conduct:

• A time-series, pre-post program test, focused on citywide trends in intimate partner violence and service utilization before and after DART implementation
• A comparative assessment of the effectiveness of the two forms of DART response (on-scene and delayed follow-up). 

These analytical methods will help us to understand DART’s impact on intimate partner violence in Houston and the effectiveness of an immediate on-scene response versus the delayed outreach that is more common among law enforcement agencies. We will utilize data from Houston Police Department’s record management system, including their incident report and DART supplemental reports, as well as individual de-identified case files to complete this phase.

Setting the Standard for Improving Outcomes for Intimate Partner Violence Victims

This study will produce the first outcome evaluation of a co-responder model for addressing intimate partner violence, and the results will provide an evidence base for future program development and implementation, especially for co-responder models aimed at responding to intimate partner violence incidents. Additionally, this study will allow our research team to provide pertinent information on program implementation, challenges, and facilitators to program success, program outcomes, and lessons learned.

This study will provide insight into a promising and innovative approach to improve outcomes for victims of intimate partner violence for other law enforcement and criminal justice stakeholders. Our study will also offer insights into the mechanics of a complex, but highly functional, law enforcement-victim service partnership, which will promote these types of partnerships and emphasize their importance for serving victims.