[Dr. Strangelove]

Domestic Violence is a serious issue, and those who are truly involved in it deserve to face the full brunt of the law. I understand that the laws are written to protect those who can't protect themselves, but the laws go too far and are stacked against those who may be innocent.

As a manager in two different companies, I had to fire two male employees who couldn't make it to work on a regular basis because their ex's would file DV charges against them on Sunday night, like clockwork. While we believed the charges to be false, and ultimately they were proved false, both employees were terminated for attendance policy violations. Right or wrong, you can't employ someone whose ex has them arrested every Sunday night. Both ex's were vindictive and trying to get the guys fired. The police wanted nothing to do with filing charges relating to false claims against them.

A friend came within a hair of losing her children because her four year old fell down a flight of steps, and someone reported her for child abuse based on the appearance of the child. The case worker told her had she not had the hospital records, they would have taken both her children into protective custody. She still has an active file with social services, with an "unsubstantiated" claim of child abuse, which could hurt her if anything else was ever to happen. She wasn't allowed to know who filed the claim or face her accuser.

It's far too easy to end up with a DV charge. In the three states I've lived in (NC, FL, GA) if the police come out for a DV, someone is going to jail. I've seen far too many people with their futures ruined over lies from partners and ex's, and the police seem far too reluctant to pursue charges against those who make false claims.

Again, DV is a serious issue and those who do abuse their partners deserve the weight of the law to be brought against them, but the laws as written are one-sided and don't address the reality of many situations.