Court documents released in the case of Colorado State Trooper accused of domestic violence – KKTV

Report on Domestic Violence Allegations Involving Law Enforcement and Linkages to Sustainable Development Goals

Incident Summary

A Colorado State Patrol trooper, Brandon Stevens, faces charges of second-degree assault and domestic violence. This report analyzes the case in the context of global development objectives, particularly the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Subject: Brandon Stevens, 27, Colorado State Patrol Trooper since April 2023.
• Allegations: Accused of strangling a female victim following an argument.
• Evidence: Police observed marks on the victim’s neck. The victim reported a history of physical abuse. Stevens reportedly admitted to a physical altercation.

Analysis of Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This case directly intersects with several key SDGs, highlighting critical challenges in achieving gender equality, ensuring justice, and promoting well-being.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

The incident is a clear violation of the principles outlined in SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

• Target 5.2: The alleged strangulation and history of abuse represent a severe form of violence against women, which this target explicitly seeks to eliminate.
• Systemic Barriers: The case underscores the persistent threat of gender-based violence that impedes progress toward full equality and safety for women.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The involvement of a law enforcement officer brings the integrity of public institutions and access to justice, central tenets of SDG 16, into sharp focus.

• Target 16.3: The report from the Kingdom Builders Family Center highlights systemic challenges that undermine the rule of law and equal access to justice. A cited 2023 study from Georgia, revealing an 87% dismissal rate in domestic violence cases involving officers, exemplifies a failure to provide justice for victims.
• Target 16.6: The case raises questions about the effectiveness, accountability, and transparency of law enforcement institutions. The lack of data tracking on officer-involved domestic violence by many departments is a direct barrier to accountability.
• Access to Justice: A community member’s testimony noted that officers’ knowledge of the legal system creates an imbalance, making it difficult for victims to secure protection orders and achieve justice.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The physical and psychological harm inflicted by domestic violence contravenes the objectives of SDG 3, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.

• Physical Health: The marks observed on the victim’s neck are a direct, negative health outcome resulting from violence.
• Mental Well-being: The victim was described as “shaken up,” indicating significant psychological distress, which is contrary to the promotion of mental health and well-being under Target 3.4.

Systemic Challenges and Recommendations

Identified Barriers to Justice

The case and associated commentary from non-profit organizations reveal significant obstacles to achieving the SDGs in the context of officer-involved domestic violence.

1. A high rate of dismissal for cases where law enforcement officers are the accused perpetrators.
2. A systemic failure by many police departments to track or publish data on domestic violence arrests involving their own officers, hindering transparency and accountability.
3. Judicial reluctance to issue protection orders or arrest warrants against officers, as reported by community members.
4. The inherent power imbalance when an abuser has intimate knowledge of the legal and justice systems.

Conclusion

To advance the Sustainable Development Goals, it is imperative that institutions ensure justice is accessible and unbiased for all survivors of violence, regardless of the perpetrator’s profession. Strengthening accountability within institutions like law enforcement is fundamental to building the peaceful, just, and inclusive societies envisioned by SDG 16.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

The issues highlighted in the article, primarily domestic violence and the justice system’s response, are directly connected to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  This goal is relevant because the article describes a case of domestic violence, a form of gender-based violence against women. The victim is a woman allegedly strangled and hit by her male partner. The article addresses the need for safety and justice for survivors, which is central to achieving gender equality.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  This goal is addressed through the article’s focus on the justice system’s handling of domestic violence cases, especially when the accused is a law enforcement officer. It questions the principles of equal access to justice and the accountability of institutions, citing “systematic challenges in prosecuting domestic violence cases involving officers” and a lack of transparency in police departments.

Specific Targets Identified

Based on the article’s content, the following specific targets can be identified:

1. Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres.

   The article’s central theme is a specific incident of domestic violence, where a woman was allegedly “strangled by Stevens after an argument” and had been hit before. This directly relates to the target of eliminating physical violence against women in the private sphere (the home).

2. Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.

   The alleged act of “second-degree assault” and strangulation is a severe form of violence that this target aims to reduce. The article highlights a specific instance of the violence that needs to be addressed to achieve this goal.

3. Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.

   The article explicitly points to failures in providing equal access to justice. The statement from the non-profit mentions that “when the perpetrator is a member of law enforcement, the barriers to safety and justice become even greater.” The quote from a community member that “it is very hard to go up against a police officer for domestic violence” further supports the relevance of this target.

4. Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.

   The article implies a lack of accountability and transparency in law enforcement institutions. The statement that “Many police departments do not track or publish data on arrests involving officers accused of domestic violence” points directly to a failure in institutional transparency, which this target seeks to rectify.

Implied Indicators for Measuring Progress

The article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Indicator 5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner.

  The case described in the article, where a woman was allegedly strangled and hit by her partner, is a qualitative example of the data this indicator aims to collect. The article provides a specific instance of physical violence by an intimate partner.

• Indicator 16.1.3: Proportion of population subjected to physical, psychological or sexual violence.

  The victim in the article represents a person who has been “subjected to physical… violence.” Her experience is a data point that would contribute to the measurement of this indicator.

• Indicator related to Target 16.3 (Access to Justice):

  The article provides a powerful statistic that serves as an indirect indicator of justice system effectiveness: “of the 37 cases where outcomes could be determined, 87% were

  Source: kktv.com