City of Battlefield

RSVP - Return Services Visitation Program

There is a new and unique program at the Battlefield Police Department concerning domestic violence. Officers that make a domestic disturbance call in Battlefield will automatically check back with those people involved sometime between 12 and 72 hours.

There are several purposes for RSVP. Safety is the first concern. Officers will be checking to make sure people are safe and they will be looking for signs of continuing problems. If children are in the home we will emphasize proper adult behavior and reassure them family problems are not their fault.

Another reason to check back is to inform and educate people in a calmer environment. During a disturbance between family or household members, emotions typically are very high and intoxication may be another factor. People don’t always think rationally or truly hear what an officer is saying under those circumstances. They may miss vital information concerning their safety, legal issues, or community resources. This gives us an opportunity to offer help and for people to ask questions.

In addition, RSVP will project the message the police will not just go away and forget about your problems until the next time you call. For survivors of domestic violence this offer of help and reassurance could make a difference. If there is an abuser in the home this may be vital for recognition of a problem and possible accountability.

This is an opportunity for officers to take a proactive approach to a reactive call for service.

There is no direct cost for RSVP - only time which we will make to combat this community problem.

There are four phases to this program:

• Implementation of the return visit program
• Education of officers in advanced domestic violence issues and resources
• Offer education to the public in the dynamics of domestic violence and available resources
• Evaluation of domestic disturbance calls at the end of each year.

Background

This program began 10/4/05 by Battlefield Police Chief David Vallely. According to his experience the program is unique. Chief Vallely is a 27 year veteran of law enforcement. He is the Missouri Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Subject Matter Expert in the area of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse. He has instructed law enforcement officers about this topic for over 20 years and has conducted his own research and development projects in this area of study. The program will be re-evaluated on a monthly and yearly basis.

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