Guidelines for Approval of Continuing Education Courses Pertaining to Domestic Violence Court Orders
As required by the 2007 session laws on domestic violence, the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training in cooperation with Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women and the law enforcement associations, and others have developed the following required content areas for continuing education courses that include training on Orders for Protection, No Contact Orders and Restraining Orders. Beginning January 1, 2008, the POST Board will not approve continuing education courses regarding these orders unless they meet the following guidelines.
Note: Domestic Violence courses that do not address court orders will continue to be approved as usual.
Approval Guidelines
Courses covering court orders for domestic violence must include training on:
1. Recognition of what constitutes an Order for Protection, an Ex-Parte Order, a No Contact Order and a Restraining Order;
2. Assessment of situational risk/lethality concerns in domestic violence cases, including evidence of strangulation;
3. An explanation of the stalking and harassment laws;
4. Factors to consider when deciding to make an arrest, and types of arrest, i.e. warrantless arrests, reasonable suspicion arrests, mandatory arrest, arrests when no actual assault occurred;
5. The importance of proper evidence collection and what should be collected;
6. The most important information to document in reports related to domestic violence;
7. The importance of coordination of services and procedures between law enforcement and other professional services, i.e. courts, victim services, the Office of Justice Programs, the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse, and
8. Officer duties related to providing victim’s rights information to victims of domestic assault.
If you have any questions related to these guidelines, please contact the Continuing Education Coordinators.
