You listened.
Now do something.
Broken Badge tells the story of Deputy Abby Bieber and examines a larger failure: what happens when domestic violence occurs inside the institutions responsible for responding to it.
The warning signs are detectable.
The training is available.
The policies have been written.
The question is whether institutions choose to act.
Where do you fit into this story?
Change looks different depending on where you stand.
I'm a listener
You heard the story. Help make sure it doesn't disappear when the final episode ends.
- Share Broken Badge
- Learn the warning signs
- Send the story to someone
I work in law enforcement
Departments do not have to wait for tragedy to examine their policies, training and culture.
- Review the solutions
- Examine your department's policy
- Share training resources
- Bring this conversation to your agency
I'm a policymaker, attorney or advocate
The people interviewed in Broken Badge do not lack solutions. Many have spent decades developing them.
- Review policy recommendations
- See model programs
- Connect with the campaign
I need help or I'm worried about someone
You do not need to participate in the campaign to access help.
Broken Badge is not an emergency service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. Nothing is asked of you before resources are shown — no email, no sign-up, no tracking of who you are.
What is OIDV?
Officer-involved domestic violence, or OIDV, refers to domestic abuse involving a current or former law-enforcement officer.[1],[2]
Domestic violence can occur in any family. But when one person in the relationship works in law enforcement, additional complications can arise — including access to firearms, knowledge of investigative procedures, professional relationships within the responding agency, and concerns about reporting misconduct involving a colleague.[1],[4],[5] Law-enforcement personnel may also have authorized access to investigative tools and information systems that members of the general public do not, depending on their role and agency. Some agencies use tools such as automated license-plate-reader networks and other investigative databases; access to those systems is generally restricted to authorized personnel and governed by agency policy.
Broken Badge examines those challenges while also highlighting the law-enforcement professionals, advocates, researchers, survivors and families working to improve the response.
Training strengthens the profession.
FSU’s National Prevention Toolkit on Officer-Involved Domestic Violence was created to educate officers about OIDV, promote officer and family wellness, encourage early help-seeking and support healthier law-enforcement communities. This is not about treating officers as the problem. It is about giving officers and agencies better tools before a crisis occurs.
Florida State University researchers studied law-enforcement officers who completed FSU’s National Prevention Toolkit on Officer-Involved Domestic Violence.[6]
Following the training, officers reported greater likelihood of taking actions such as reporting suspected OIDV to supervisors, connecting victims with domestic-violence services, asking about prior abusive behavior, and intervening when they suspected OIDV.
- 47%
- said they would be likely to arrest the perpetrator after training, compared with 26% before.
- 74.9%
- said they would be likely to help a victim connect with a domestic-violence hotline or center, compared with 41.4% before.
- 84%
- reported being more willing to intervene in suspected cases of officer-involved domestic violence after the training.
Better prevention helps protect officers, families and the communities they serve.
Self-reported responses from officers who took part in the study, before and after training — not statistics about all officers.
The challenge is putting those tools into practice before another family needs them.
From awareness to prevention
Broken Badge is intended to do more than tell Abby’s story. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of officer-involved domestic violence and help support the training, education and prevention work that can strengthen law-enforcement families and agencies.
One important model already exists: Florida State University’s National Prevention Toolkit on Officer-Involved Domestic Violence.[6] It was designed to:
- educate officers about OIDV
- support officer and family wellness
- encourage officers to ask for help before violence occurs
- give agencies practical prevention resources
A long-term goal of Action for Abby is to help expand awareness, access and support for proven OIDV prevention and training initiatives such as the FSU Toolkit.
For familiesWhat happens when the institution your family belongs to is also the institution responsible for responding?
Spouses, partners and loved ones of officers often know the agency personally. The Action Center gathers resources and questions that can help families understand their options.
For law enforcementWhat policies help departments respond fairly, consistently and safely when an allegation involves one of their own?
Clear reporting, independent review, firearm safeguards and supervisor training protect everyone involved — including the officers and agencies themselves.
For advocates & survivorsWhat additional barriers can arise when the alleged abuser has law-enforcement authority, professional relationships or access?
Understanding those barriers helps advocates plan for safety and helps agencies close the gaps that make reporting harder.
For researchers & policymakersWhat does existing research tell us, where are the gaps, and what systems can be improved?
Data on officer-involved domestic violence is limited. Better documentation and consistent policy are where meaningful improvement starts.
Broken Badge draws on existing research, training models and the work of experts who have studied OIDV for years. Listed sources are independent and do not endorse Broken Badge or Action for Abby.
- [1] Domestic Violence by Police Officers: Model Policy. International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) National Law Enforcement Policy Center. Model policy. Report an issue
- [2] Police Officer Domestic Violence: Concepts and Issues Paper. Office of Justice Programs / NIJ. Published April 1999. View abstract → Report an issue
- [3] Police Officer Domestic Violence: Concepts and Issues Paper — Full Report (PDF). National Institute of Justice. Published April 1999. View full report (PDF) → Report an issue
- [4] Domestic Violence by Police Officers: Concepts and Issues Paper. International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Published July 2003. Report an issue
- [5] 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9) — firearm prohibition after a misdemeanor domestic-violence conviction (Lautenberg Amendment, 1996). U.S. Code, Office of the Law Revision Counsel. Federal statute, enacted 1996. Report an issue
- [6] A Study of the National Prevention Toolkit on Officer-Involved Domestic Violence (OIDV): Examining Training Effects. Florida State University College of Social Work (Karen Oehme, J.D., Daniel Saunders, Ph.D., and Stephanie Grace Prost, MSW). Published October 13, 2016. Report an issue
Section published October 1, 2026 · Last reviewed October 1, 2026
Found a broken link or outdated citation? Report a source issue — it opens an email to our team for review.
Have a question?
AI-generated answers drawn only from the sources listed above, with numbered citations. Not legal advice and not an emergency service — if you are in danger, call 911. Your questions are not saved.
- Immediate danger: call 911
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
- Text START to 88788 · Chat at thehotline.org
- Law-enforcement personnel & families: COPLINE 1-800-267-5463
- Thoughts of suicide: call or text 988
If someone may be monitoring your device, consider using a safer phone or computer. More resources
A problem law enforcement can help solve
Many of the people working to improve the response to officer-involved domestic violence are current and former law-enforcement professionals.
Broken Badge is not about treating every officer as suspect. It is about giving departments, officers and families better tools to recognize warning signs, respond appropriately and protect the people who depend on them.
This is a law-enforcement family’s story, and law-enforcement families should feel welcome in the conversation.
There is evidence that focused training can improve how officers say they would respond to officer-involved domestic violence. In a study of FSU’s National Prevention Toolkit on OIDV, officers reported increased willingness to intervene, report suspected cases, connect victims with services, and take other protective actions after completing the training, according to Florida State University College of Social Work researchers.
Better policy, training, reporting and accountability can help agencies respond more effectively when domestic violence involves one of their own.
Support Broken Badge
Independent reporting and impact work continue long after an episode is published. Support helps Broken Badge continue the reporting, public education, outreach and policy work surrounding officer-involved domestic violence.
Reporting
Continue documenting stories, policies and institutional responses.
Education
Bring this issue and the solutions surrounding it to a larger audience.
Action
Support the tools, outreach and policy work designed to turn awareness into change.