VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN OFFICE

federal agency, part of the U.S. Department of Justice, that was established in March 1995 to help implement and coordinate some of the measures called for in the 1994 Violence Against Women Act. The act was a comprehensive piece of legislation designed to combat such violence by mandating stiffer penalties for perpetrators, improving police response in cases of domestic violence, and allocating funds for prevention and victims' services. The office coordinates the Department of Justice's efforts and those of other public and private agencies fighting violence against women. It also works closely with the office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to train law enforcement officers in effective preventive techniques, such as making preemptive arrests, and to establish working partnerships between police departments and victim-advocacy organizations.