New Law Aids Victims of Domestic Violence

Sheriff Lee Baca on Friday announced the enactment of a state law that makes it easier for victims of domestic violence to obtain copies of their police reports within 48 hours.

In the past, police required victims to request copies by mail, a process that could take three weeks and cost up to $33 per report. Activists say that blocked women’s access to domestic violence shelters, which require documentation of abuse.

“With this legislation, law enforcement will be more responsive and act more swiftly against men who commit these awful crimes,” Baca said at a news conference at his headquarters in Monterey Park.

The author of the bill, Assemblywoman Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles), said police agencies in the state received almost 200,000 calls related to domestic violence in 1998, 62,000 of those Los Angeles County.

The Access to Domestic Violence Reports Act of 1999, which went into effect Jan. 1, will also aid abused immigrants. Under federal law, immigrant women married to citizens who batter them may apply for citizenship without their husband’s sponsorship. But the women must supply police reports.

The new law requires that abridged reports be available within two days and full reports within five days. There is no charge.