Domestic violence has been an integral part of many families throughout history. Until the mid-1980s, domestic violence was thought to be a family problem, a dirty little secret to be dealt with within the family circle. This mindset changed when a major study was conducted in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area in the 1980s. This study not only impacted the area in which it was conducted, but also how police officers across the country treated domestic violence offenders. Significant studies have been conducted since the 1980s, studies that include: how domestic violence affects the family unit as a whole, treatment methods for victims, family members and offenders, as well as policing techniques. Some theorists envision the idea of ​​privatizing the police to effectively respond to domestic violence situations, while others suggest that community policing methods could help in such situations. In early 1981 through mid-1982, an experiment was conducted with a grant from the National Institute of Justice; this experiment became known as: The Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment. “The experiment was conducted within the Minneapolis Police Department in collaboration with the Police Foundation,” (1) explain Lawrence W. Sherman, vice president of research for the Police Foundation and associate professor of criminology at the University of Maryland, and Richard A. Berk, professor of sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and director of the Social Process Research Institute, and authors of The Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment. The experiment was conducted to resolve an ongoing intense debate between three different organizations; everyone has their own opinions on how police should handle responses to domestic violence.