What is Dual Aggressor Analysis?

What is Dual Aggressor Analysis?

• A. The police officer shall evaluate each complaint separately to determine which one is the DA
• B. The officer must arrest the first complainant
• C. The officer must ignore injuries
• D. The officer must file a civil complaint

Answer: (A)

Dual Aggressor Analysis is the approach of evaluating each party’s account and evidence separately in a domestic-violence situation where both sides may have acted aggressively. The officer looks at injuries, statements, weapon use, witnesses, and past history for each person to determine who started, who contributed to the violence, and whether there is a dual aggressor situation requiring charges for one or both parties. This keeps the assessment fair and focused on the facts rather than assuming one person is the aggressor from the outset.

That’s why the correct choice is to evaluate each complaint separately to determine which one represents the dual aggressor. The other options don’t reflect this careful, evidence-based approach: arresting the first complainant isn’t automatically justified, ignoring injuries compromises safety and investigation, and filing a civil complaint isn’t a police-response method in a criminal assault scenario.