Who Gets Believed?

This book investigates how police officers perceive the credibility of domestic and non-domestic battery victims by comparing and contrasting multiple points along case development. It draws on research with a police department in north central Florida involving 500 hours of ride-along with patrol officers and follows 34 cases of domestic and non-domestic battery. It examines how police officers describe and depict victims and their credibility during the initial encounters with incident participants, post-incident perceptions, and victim characterization in their subsequent police reports. The book triangulates statements made by officers with rich and immersive accounts and observations, case information from police reports, and police department policy documents. It provides an overview of the police organization, its procedures, and practices when dealing with both domestic and non-domestic batteries and describes the aspects that influence officers' perception of victim credibility.

Dr. Michelle N. Eliasson is an assistant professor at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University, USA. Her research focuses on victimology, policing, criminal justice professionals and qualitative methodology. In the past she has explored Swedish and American police officers' perceptions of victims and their occupation. Her most recent work examines how police officers perceive battery victims' credibility and victim advocates' perceptions of their job and victims' rights.