When Tacoma police Chief David Brame shot his battered wife to death, police officials dismissed the murder-suicide as an aberration. It was not. The Post-Intelligencer has turned up dozens of cases of officers being accused of domestic violence.

WHERE TO FIND HELP Statewide 24-hour Crisis Hotline: 800-562-6025 King County domestic violence information line (recorded): 206-205-5555 Pierce County domestic violence crisis helpline: 253-798-4166 Battered Women's Justice Project: 1-800-903-0111, Ext. 1 -- information for victims of police officers. ONLINE RESOURCES Abuse of Power: offers information about police perpetrators. Protectionorder.org: explains what protection orders are and how to get one. FOLLOWUPS Abusive cops get politicians' attention Lawmakers want to require domestic-violence policies THE BRAME CASE Track the latest developments.

	Paul Joseph Brown / P-I
Kristi Bucklin was a Tacoma officer when she accused her husband, David Moore, then a Seattle cop, of abusing her. Here she shows how, after they divorced, her friend says he made a gun with his hands and said, "If she wasn't the mother of my child. ..."

PART ONE

Cops who abuse their wives rarely pay the price
Over the past five years, 41 police officers in King and Pierce counties alone have been accused of assaulting, stalking, threatening or harassing their wives, girlfriends or children. Most have paid little, if any, professional price. Only half faced charges.

Some fear 'bogus complaints' will ruin cops' careers
Victims' advocates are lobbying for more stringent reporting standards for abuse allegations involving police officers. But how far should law enforcement agencies pry into people's private lives?

List of local police officers accused of domestic violence
A breakdown of the 41 officers accused of domestic violence in King and Pierce counties since 1998 who were identified by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Officers are listed by the police agency that currently employs them, or where they last worked.

Profiles of domestic violence cases involving police
Detailed examinations of five of those cases.

Facts about domestic violence
What exactly is "domestic violence"? How common is it? We answer those and other questions.

PART TWO

Abusive cops call the shots
Convinced nothing and nobody can protect them, victims of abusive police officers say they feel powerless to escape. Police who batter their wives and girlfriends know better than most how to intimidate and use force without leaving telltale marks.

Tables turn: Prosecutor says she became a victim
A seasoned prosecutor, Margita Dornay has endured the frustration of having domestic violence cases fall apart when fearful victims refuse to cooperate.

More profiles of domestic violence cases involving police
Detailed examinations of five additional cases.

PART THREE

Clean up your act, police told
Advocates for victims of domestic violence say the time has come to hold abusive officers and their departments more accountable.

Why rein in the police? 5-year-old David Brame Jr. knows
Crystal Brame's family seeks reforms that will help others embroiled in domestic violence.

Street violence sometimes is brought home
At work, police officers rely on control -- of their own emotions and other people's behavior -- to do their job. At home, life isn't as black and white.

FOLLOWUPS

Deputy's ex-wife who sought protection order denied pension
A Washington Court of Appeals ruling has upped the economic stakes for women seeking domestic violence protection orders, especially when the abuser is a police officer, legal advocates say.

Abused officers can fall victim to system
When a domestic violence victim is also a cop, careers are often in jeopardy.

Lawmakers want to require domestic-violence policies
Legislators are drafting a law that would make Washington the first state in the nation to require every police department to have a domestic-violence policy for its officers.