Domestic Violence

Important Information for Domestic Violence Victims

As a result of the changes in laws concerning how domestic violence incidents are reported in the state of Kansas, the officers who respond to your call are required to complete a full police report of the incident. They will give you information about the resources of the community and the methods to obtain assistance from those agencies. This “Domestic Violence Referral Information” should help you through the process.

Victims of domestic violence may be in need of health and social services that are available in the community. The agencies listed below are the primary resource groups for domestic violence victims in Lawrence and Douglas County. Other groups may be of assistance in solving specific problems.

Crime victims in the State of Kansas may be able to recover losses due to their victimization. Crime victims should contact the Victim-Witness Coordinator of the office of the Douglas County District Attorney for an explanation of their rights under the law and for other related victim information. Crime Victim Information Referral is available by calling 1-800-828-9745.

The filing of a police report does not guarantee the privacy of the information given to the officer. Some portions of a police report are accessible to the public and the media. While the rights of the victim are of great concern to law enforcement officers, public access to some of the information in the report cannot be denied.

Providing police with an explanation of the events involved in a domestic criminal incident is not the same as filing charges for a reported offense. The victim of domestic violence criminal action does not have to be the complaining party in the filing of formal charges. If the victim does not wish to file charges for any reason, the State may become the complaining party and file a court action.

Victims should contact the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office at (785) 841-0211 to file formal charges or for other needs.

Victims seeking information on “Protection From Abuse Orders” should contact the Clerk of the District Court at (785) 832-5256.