Why police often get it wrong in abuse cases.

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]This creates a blind spot easily exploited by a recognized psychological tactic called DARVO.

[00:00:06]DARVO stands for deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender.

[00:00:11]A practiced abuser executing DARVO knows exactly how to play to law enforcement biases.

[00:00:17]By the time officers arrive, the perpetrator presents as exceptionally calm, highly rational, and entirely cooperative with police instructions.

[00:00:26]This matrix charts police evaluations.

[00:00:29]The X axis tracks actual threat. The Y axis tracks perceived threat based on demeanor.

[00:00:35]Here is the inversion zone. Officers see the panicked injured victim as a threat and the calm compliant abuser as a credible witness.

[00:00:44]This is from my book Three Times a Victim about injustice and virtual prison life. Watch the full audiobook from the beginning at bwlinks.me/va.