Police partnership on domestic violence leads to new law, award

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A partnership between Purdue University and some top law enforcement agencies in South Korea is leading to lasting changes for the handling of domestic violence calls in South Korea. It also has led to a top honor for a law enforcement leader.

Eric Dietz, a professor of computer and information technology in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, began the partnership when he was working to create opportunities for graduate students to study law enforcement policies in South Korea.

The superintendent of South Korean police, Hyun Gun Song, came to Greater Lafayette last year to research the local law enforcement response to domestic violence. He rode along with officers and deputies to see how they respond to domestic violence and other calls.

Song also worked in Dietz’s lab to review statistics and data related to domestic violence calls and responses in the Tippecanoe County area. Dietz also connected Song with law enforcement agencies across Indiana.  

“Thanks to my time spent in Greater Lafayette we now have a new law that will be in effect soon in South Korea for how domestic calls are dealt with by law enforcement,” Song said. “This has been an incredible opportunity that will make a lasting change.”

Under the new law, police officers will be required to separate the parties involved in a domestic violence call and then require follow-up actions to ensure continued safety. Currently, police in South Korea are not required to take such actions unless requested by one of the parties involved in the call.

For his work, Song recently was named a top law enforcement leader in South Korea and received a national award for his work on domestic violence. Song’s model on how to handle calls, based on his experiences at Purdue, is now being implemented across South Korea.

“This partnership shows the power of higher education to create a system for stronger public safety here at home and across the globe,” Dietz said.

Dietz, a Purdue alumnus from the College of Engineering and the founding executive director of Indiana’s Department of Homeland Security, has been working to apply quantitative data to determine the effectiveness of security policies.

Dietz also has worked with the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization to patent technologies aimed at tracking and improving public safety. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org.

About Purdue Research Foundation

The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts; administers trusts; funds scholarships and grants; acquires property; protects Purdue's intellectual property; and promotes entrepreneurial activities on behalf of Purdue. The foundation manages the Purdue Foundry, Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization, Purdue Research Park, Purdue Technology Centers and University Development Office. In 2020, the IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The foundation received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For more information about involvement and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.

Writer: Chris Adam, cladam@prf.org 
Source: Eric Dietz, jedietz@purdue.edu