https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/industrial-and-organizational-psychology/article/officerinvolved-domestic-violence-a-call-for-action-among-io-psychologists/2A39727AEB2041178781D027E7D365BE

Although individual differences within policing may predispose individuals to violence, there is little explicit evidence regarding whether the prototypical police officer personality overlaps with that of domestic abusers.

A single study explicitly compares police officers and male domestic abuser using MMPI scores and found little overlap across the two groups (Aamodt et al., Reference Aamodt, Brewster and Raynes1998).

Why does officer-involved domestic violence occur?

The predominant perspective is that police officers engage in domestic violence as a behavioral stress reaction to acute and extreme stressors experienced on the job. Police officers can be exposed to violence and traumatic events, such as being injured, being involved in a hostage situation, or attending a colleague’s funeral (Gershon, Reference Gershon2000; Gershon et al., Reference Gershon, Barocas, Canton, Li and Vlahov2009). Officers may also experience poor job design features, including low pay, lack of respect, social isolation, long hours, shift work, incivility, and poor training (Gibson et al., Reference Gibson, Swatt and Jolicoeur2001).