If you believe that you are in danger, contact 911.
In Arizona, dating violence falls under the Arizona Revised Statute that covers domestic violence (A.R.S. § 13-3601). The statue applies in situations where the victim and defendant was or is a romantic or sexual relationship (A.R.S. § 13-3601(6)). The factors used to determine whether the relationship was or is romantic or sexual are:
(a) type of relationship
(b) length of relationship
(c) amount of interaction between the victim and the defendant
(d) if the relationship is over, the amount of time since the relationship ended
According to (A.R.S. § 13-3601(B)), A police officer may arrest a person if the officer has probable cause to believe that domestic violence has been committed or if the officer has probable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has committed the offense (domestic violence)
A police officer can arrest both parties if the police officer has probable cause that both parties independently committed an act of domestic violence. Acts of self defense, as defined in Chapter 4 of Title 13, are not acts of domestic violence.
When an officer responds to a call that domestic violence has been or may be committed, the officer must inform any potential victim in writing of the procedures and resources available to protect the victim (A.R.S. § 13-3601(J)). These include:
(1) An order of protection (A.R.S. § 13-3602)
(2) An injunction (A.R.S. § 25-315)
(3) An injunction against harassment (A.R.S. § 12-1809)
(4) The emergency telephone number for the local police agency
(5) Telephone numbers for emergency services in the local community.
PLACES TO GO FOR HELP/RESOURCES
National Domestic Violence Hotline (800) 799-7233
Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence (800) 782-6400 or (602) 279-2900 Open 8:30 am-5:00 pm, M-F
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information on teen dating violence.
Laws may have changed since the last time this article was updated. The current and most up-to-date laws can be accessed here.