San Francisco Domestic Abuse
The DVRU investigates all felony arrest cases involving abuse committed against any person, including minors, who is a spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, former cohabitant, current or former dating relationship, current or former engagement, or has a child in common. This also includes boyfriend / girlfriend as well as same sex relationships (dating or domestic partners).
The Inspectors conduct a thorough investigation and present each case to the District Attorney's Office for a decision on criminal charges. All of the non-arrest reports are reviewed by the case assignment Inspector. If the case meets the DVRU criteria for assignment, it is placed in the work-up file and assigned to an Inspector based on availability. The Inspector conducts a thorough investigation and presents the case to the District Attorney for a decision on the issuance of a criminal arrest warrant.
In addition, the case assignment Inspector conducts computer queries on all non-arrest reports. Suspects are checked for probation / parole status. If the suspect is found to be on probation or parole, the case assignment Inspector notifies the appropriate agency.
The case assignment Inspector attempts to contact every victim in non-arrest cases by telephone to advise her/him on follow-up procedures and to advise on advocacy services. The case assignment Inspector leaves a message with follow-up procedures if no one is home. All reports involving confiscated firearms are assigned to an Inspector for investigation.
All misdemeanor arrest cases are handled directly by Department 18. However, DVRU receives and maintains a copy of these reports in the office for up to one year. The District Attorney can review and upgrade a misdemeanor case to a felony.
The DVRU maintains a close liaison with the District Attorney's Office, the Probation Department, Parole, Safe Start, Las Casa de las Madres, and the Family Violence Project in order to accurately assess the seriousness of each case and provide maximum advocacy services to the victim.