A random selection of 46 male and 9 female officers of the West Yorkshire police force was surveyed. Results indicate that officers were more likely to have responded to (1) incidents of violence against women in the home; (2) sexual offenses against children; and (3) rapes and other sexual offenses against women. Two-thirds of the interviewed officers could recall attending an incident within the past few months, and all had this type of police work experience. It is only with incidents defined as domestic disputes or sexual offenses legally defined as less serious that the investigations and decision on appropriate courses of action may be undertaken by the officer. Many factors influenced the police response, including the individual and lifestyle, past and present interaction, the cause of the dispute and who is judged to be at fault, the extent of injuries, the involvement of children, and the assumed effect of the police response. Officers varied considerably in their use of arrest in situations defined as domestic disputes. 6 tables and 7 notes