Data Limitations and Information provided by the California Department of Justice.

The Domestic Violence File contains records of domestic violence-related calls reported by law enforcement agencies to the Department of Justice's Criminal Justice Statistics Center (CJSC). The form (CJSC 715) requests monthly reports on the total number of domestic violence-related calls for assistance, total cases in which weapons were involved, and the type of weapon if known. The following information and limitations should be considered when interpreting and using the Domestic Violence data.

• California law enforcement agencies started reporting Domestic Violence-related Calls to the Department in 1986, in compliance with Penal Code Section 13730. Data collection began in July 1986, therefore, only six month of data are available for 1986.
  
  
• The data reported on the CJSC 715 form is recorded just as it is reported to the Department by local law enforcement agencies. Agencies report total number of domestic violence-related calls that are received and verified.
  
• Penal Code 13700(a) defines domestic violence as "'Abuse' intentionally or recklessly causing or attempting to cause bodily injury, or placing another person in reasonable apprehension of imminent serious bodily injury to himself or herself, or another."
  
  
• The Penal Code 13700(b) definition of "'Domestic Violence' is abuse committed against an adult or fully emancipated minor who is a spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, former cohabitant, or person with whom the suspect has had a child or is having or has had a dating or engagement relationship...'cohabitant' means two unrelated adult persons living together for a substantial period of time, resulting in some permanency of relationship. Factors that may determine whether persons are cohabiting include, but are not limited to, (1) sexual relations between the parties while sharing the same living quarters, (2) sharing of income or expenses, (3) joint use or ownership of property, (4) whether the parties hold themselves out as husband and wife, (5) the continuity of the relationship, and (6) the length of the relationship."
  
  
• The definition of "domestic violence" is interpreted differently by the various law enforcement agencies reporting data to CJSC. As a result, different types of relationships may be included in the database. In addition to violence between heterosexual adults involved in a dating relationship, the data may or may not include violence between adults involved in homosexual relationships, violence between platonic roommates, in-laws, or violence between any family member. The CJSC remains committed to clarifying the desired interpretation at every available opportunity.
  
  
• Included in the data are any cases which resulted in a report being written by the responding law enforcement agencies. The data, therefore, includes both cases where an arrest was made, and those where circumstances did not warrant an arrest.
  
  
• The San Francisco Police Department was unable to provide complete data for 1997, and did not report data for calendar year 1998 or 1999, due to computer problems. The Hanford Police Department, Lemoore Police Department and the Upland Police Department did not provide complete data for 2009.

2010 Data Limitations

• Fresno Community College -- Renamed State Center Community College (1017).
• Trinidad Police Department -- Went defunct as of July 2010. Stats now included in Humboldt Sheriffs Department.
• McFarland Police Department -- Started reporting data January 2010. Formerly covered by Kern County Sheriffs Department.
• San Carlos Police Department -- Went defunct as of November 2010. Stats now included in San Mateo Sheriffs Department.
• Shasta County Marshall's Office -- Started reporting data January 2010. Formerly covered by Shasta County Sheriffs Department.
• Solano County Sheriffs Department -- Did not report crime or arrest data for May through December 2010. Was able to report homicide data.
• Calipatria Police Department,1303 -- Did not report arrest data for January through December 2010.
• San Francisco Police Department -- Reporting agency acknowledges low arrest counts for January - December 2010 due to Records Management System issues.