...First, there is no evidence that accusations of domestic violence are generally — or even often — fake. Instead, the level of false reporting in domestic violence cases is similar to that of other crimes. Some estimates place it as low as two percent. In reality, victims of domestic violence clearly underreport and understate the violence they experience. Research reveals that roughly two-thirds of victims of domestic violence do not report it at all.
Second, there is no evidence that domestic violence is a crime that engages — or affects — men and women equally. Although it is clear that women are capable of violence, (as Assistant Public Defender Tina Hartwell describes), it is not the case that men and women engage in violence equally or with the same outcomes.
Ninety percent of the victims of domestic violence are women. Women are more likely to be seriously injured or killed by a spouse or boyfriend than by a stranger or an acquaintance; the opposite is true for men.
...Third and finally are mandatory arrest laws. While they do restrict the response options of police officers, they continue to be an essential part of a safe community response to domestic violence.
Although people might not like to talk about it, mandatory arrest laws were created to end the historical practice of police treating domestic violence as a “private matter” and failing to intervene. Officers walked away from these cases for decades, leaving families to endure often chronic physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
http://www.uticaod.com/article/20140504/OPINION/140509875/10308/OPINION
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