City officers undergo domestic violence training

By By Fredie Carmichael / staff writer
Aug. 14, 2002
Some local police officers say responding to domestic violence calls can sometimes be the hardest part of their job.
Capt. Keith McCary of the Meridian Police Department said the unpredictability of responding to a family disturbance creates an instant problem.
The Meridian Police Department is trying to ease the problem by training officers on how to respond to domestic violence. On Tuesday, 25 MPD officers met at the Three I Training Center on Sand Flat Road for their annual training.
There, officials from the Care Lodge Lauderdale County's domestic violence shelter instructed officers about how to handle different domestic situations.
The training comes at a time when Meridian police officials said they responded to about 100 domestic violence calls within the past year a number that one detective said would be higher if some of the calls were classified differently.
McCary said he wants to make sure that his officers have the proper training before dealing with the situation.
One of the things the group focused on this year was a new state law that says police must identify a "primary aggressor" at the crime scene.