Social and political pressures, in conjunction with civil and criminal statutes to protect battered women, have considerably changed the way in which police officers and agencies respond to domestic violence. Police executives and public policymakers, as well as individual police officers, have become more sensitive to the issues involved as they face the burden of making appropriate choices from among a range of competing alternative strategies. Because defining and practicing an appropriate police response to domestic violence necessarily entail a broad range of practical, legal, political, and social variables, police supervisors, trainers, and officers confront a difficult task. Mandatory arrest of abusers is not a panacea to domestic violence, although arresting abusers conveys the important message that family violence is a serious crime. If police officers refuse to arrest batterers, they are conveying the message that family violence is tolerated and acceptable. Communities must work toward an integrated response from the police, courts, and social service agencies because domestic violence victims often have multiple legal, psychological, and social service needs. The police response to domestic violence is examined with respect to specialized police training, deterrent effects of arrest, proarrest policies, and the potential of electronic monitoring as part of a coordinated community response to domestic violence.