Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Updated Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Guidelines

Fall River — In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Healey-Driscoll Administration, in collaboration with the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking (GCSADVHT), today announced comprehensive updates to domestic violence law enforcement guidelines, reflecting current best practices and evidence-based approaches to protecting victims and holding offenders accountable. These guidelines provide law enforcement agencies with clear operational instruction for responding to domestic violence, and reflect changes signed into law by Governor Healey’s An Act to prevent abuse and exploitation, including expanding the definition of abuse to include the term “coercive control”.

“These updated guidelines will make sure our law enforcement officers have everything they need to be prepared to protect and support victims and survivors of domestic violence,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We're grateful to all of the survivors who bravely shared their stories to help us update these guidelines in a way that centers on victims and survivors.”

"These updated guidelines represent a significant step forward in our commitment to protecting victims and survivors of domestic violence,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Chair of the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Human Trafficking. “By providing law enforcement with clear, evidence-based protocols and enhanced training resources, we're ensuring that every response is both effective and trauma-informed. This collaborative effort between the Council’s subcommittee and local agencies will ultimately save lives and help break the cycle of domestic violence in our communities."

“I fully support the implementation of these updated Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Guidelines,” said Interim Public Safety and Security Secretary Susan W. Terrey. “Our law enforcement officers are often the first responders in these critical situations, and they deserve the most current tools and protocols to protect victims and hold offenders accountable. These guidelines will ensure consistency across all our departments while prioritizing victim safety and officer effectiveness. This is essential work that will strengthen our entire public safety response system.”

The updated guidelines were developed by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS), the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) and the GCSADVHT in close collaboration with victim advocacy organizations, local law enforcement, legal experts and community stakeholders, to address critical gaps in domestic violence response and incorporate lessons learned from recent cases and evolving research in the field. The guidelines emphasize that the focus of police officers responding to a domestic violence call should be on victim safety, followed closely by offender accountability.

Key updates include: 

• Expanded legal definitions: Adds “coercive control” to the statutory definition of abuse under Chapter 209A to address non-physical tactics such as isolation, intimidation, and economic control.
• Enhanced dispatcher protocols: Clarifies 911 response procedures, prioritizing caller safety, two-officer dispatch, and accurate incident documentation.
• Victimology and trauma awareness: Expands guidance on partner-inflicted brain injury and trauma-informed response practices.
• Mandated reporting and child support: Updates procedures to strengthen support for children exposed to domestic violence and ensure compliance with reporting laws.
• Strangulation and stalking: Expands direction on strangulation response, documentation, and medical referral, and adds new information on stalking behaviors and risk assessment.
• Firearms law updates: Incorporates changes under the 2024 Modernizing Firearm Laws Act related to seizure, surrender, and risk-based response.
• Resource integration: Adds updated resource lists and hyperlinks throughout the document to improve access to services for both officers and victims.
• High-risk case model: Introduces a coordinated Domestic Violence High-Risk Model to strengthen interagency communication and enhance victim protection.

The updated guidelines are available to all Massachusetts law enforcement agencies and integrated into the MPTC’s 2025-2026 in-service training program for veteran officers.  

“I am very proud of the Assessment and Response Subcommittee's work. They took a collaborative approach to develop much-needed updates to the Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Guidelines. These updated guidelines will strengthen our law enforcement response to domestic violence and help us continue building bridges with local law enforcement agencies,” said Vilma Uribe, Executive Director of the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Human Trafficking.

Individuals experiencing domestic violence can access resources through:

• SafeLink, Statewide Domestic Violence Hotline: (877) 785-2020
• Statewide Resources Page

For more information about the updated guidelines or domestic violence resources, contact Vilma Uribe at gcsadvht@mass.gov.

Statements of Support 
Hema Sarang-Sieminski, Executive Director, JDI: 
“As the statewide coalition against sexual and domestic violence, Jane Doe Inc. (JDI) advocates for survivor-centered and responsive systems change. We are grateful for the strong partnerships among system stakeholders, providers, and survivors that shaped the 2025 Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Guidelines. We hope these guidelines will help strengthen consistent, supportive responses — especially for immigrant survivors, LGBTQ+ survivors, and others who face heightened barriers to safety and justice.”

Patrick Glynn, Lieutenant Detective (Ret.), City of Quincy: 
“The updated 2025 Domestic Violence Guidelines offer clear and concise best practices for police departments throughout the Commonwealth. These guidelines will enable law enforcement to deliver consistent and balanced policing to the survivors of domestic violence.”

James Barrett, Chief, Norfolk Police Department: 
“The 2025 law enforcement domestic violence guidelines will ensure we are armed with the best tools to do just that.” 

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