When Larry Parshall answers a call after a shooting, assault or other violent crime, the suspect often has fled and the victim typically is eager to cooperate with the police lieutenant.

"There's usually a clear line between the good guy and the bad guy," said Parshall, an officer with the Oakdale Police Department for 25 years. "The victim is glad to see you. You're there trying to catch the crook."

But what sort of reception does Parshall receive when the crime is domestic violence, with victims who have intimate relationships with their abusers?

"You never know how they'll react to your presence," said Parshall, who works in a city of 16,000 people. "From a police officer's perspective, it's a high-risk situation any time you're responding to a domestic violence incident."

Particularly when both the victim and the perpetrator are on the scene when the police arrive.

"They both can turn on you," said Parshall, who has encountered such situations. "We've had officers, who were making an arrest, attacked by battered women who don't want a husband or boyfriend going to jail."

Oakdale and many other Northern San Joaquin Valley police departments try to dispatch two officers to every domestic violence call.

"Because it can be a very tense, dangerous situation," said Modesto police Sgt. Lucian Thomas, who supervises the special-victims unit in the department's Investigative Services Division. "You could be facing a violent reaction when a family sees its breadwinner in handcuffs. It's a very volatile scene."

Parshall said officers react with caution, wondering whether they are headed into situations where they are not welcome.

"It keeps you very alert," Parshall said. "There's anxiety, due to the tense atmosphere you're walking into. But you stay calm and use that time to remind yourself of the steps to take to keep yourself safe. It's important to be prepared because domestic violence calls can be a wild card."

Stanislaus County law enforcement agencies received an average of 3,947 domestic violence calls annually from 1997 to 2002, including 6.8 calls per 1,000 people last year, the state Department of Justice reported. That was 21 percent more than the state average of 5.6 calls per 1,000 people.

The rate was 8.5 calls per 1,000 people last year in San Joaquin County and 7.0 in Merced County.

A public health nurse for Stanislaus County, for one, believes the rates might be higher.

"I think high school and college kids are victims of domestic violence far more than we realize," said Nancy Fisher, a supervising nurse who works for the county. She said that many of the adolescents she encounters are hesitant to report abuse.

Rates in Tuolumne, Calaveras and Mariposa counties typically fall well below the state average.

The disparity did not surprise Lt. Brian Muller, a 22-year veteran of the Mariposa County Sheriff's Department.

"The older age of the majority of the community in the foothills plays a large part in the lower numbers," Muller said. "We have the same issues that can lead to domestic violence as larger communities, such as substance abuse and alcohol, but the threat of violence from those decreases as people grow older."

Foothill counties also have a lower percentage of families than the valley counties, according to the Census Bureau, again because of the age gap.

Fisher, the nurse, said people 25 to 44 years old are most at risk of domestic violence.

"It makes sense that the foothills, with their older population, would have a lower rate," she said.

But that does not mean the foothills are immune from spouses and partners beating each other. Nor are the region's officers without risk of being seen as the enemy.

"Oftentimes, once we arrive and begin our investigation, the victim becomes annoyed and in some cases will even turn on the officers," Muller said. "That baffles us. We're there to help."

Parshall knows all about that.

"One incident that sticks with me was a time I was arresting a husband on a domestic violence call," he said. "While I had him in handcuffs and was leading him out the door, the wife tried to throw a pan of hot grease on me. Needless to say, the wife ended up coming with us, too."

Police across the region tell similar tales of being challenged by victims.

"Domestic violence used to be one of our No. 1 calls that we had officers injured on," Newman Police Chief Michael Brady said. "That's one reason we emphasize the need for two officers to respond. It's become a priority, and it's created a safer situation for our people and the victims."

Both men and women can be victims of domestic violence, but there is a far greater likelihood that women will be on the receiving end of a violent incident.

Men accounted for the vast majority of spousal abuse arrests in the region's six counties in 2002, from 79 percent in San Joaquin to 91 percent in Mariposa.

Arrests take place in neighborhoods of all types, in homes of all economic and social situations.

"One of the popular myths is, domestic violence occurs only in the low-income areas," Stockton police officer Doug Anderson said. "But there are incidents in neighborhoods that have well-trimmed lawns and expensive houses. Unfortunately, some of those crimes aren't reported."

Deaths linked to domestic violence remain rare, according to the state Department of Justice.

Merced County has not had a domestic violence death since 1999, while Stanislaus County averaged 1.5 deaths annually from 1997 to 2000 before recording six in 2001 and two in 2002. Until Tuolumne had two last year, there had not been a death in the foothill counties since 1997.

Alcohol and drugs are common denominators leading to domestic violence, police noted, but money can play a role.

"Economic circumstances of all sorts can lead to domestic violence," Anderson said. "That can be someone on the poor side of town losing their job, or someone with a higher income who is short of money to pay the bills."

Police say domestic violence-related training, for prospective officers and those already wearing the uniform, has increased.

In 1995, passage of California Senate Bill 132 required officers below the rank of supervisor to complete a domestic violence course at least every two years.

"I began to see a change about 15 years ago, and now domestic violence is a regular part of the training in police academies," said Thomas, who has spent 23 years with the Modesto Police Department. "A lot of the tools that officers have at their disposal today weren't available when I joined the force."

Tools of the trade include:

• Video cameras, to tape statements -- from both sides -- and document evidence of alleged physical abuse, as well as property damage.
• Checklists, which officers use to make sure all appropriate evidence is gathered and that all potential witnesses are questioned.
• Pamphlets, which are given to victims to inform them of battered women's shelters, other services and legal options. Assembly Bill 573 of 1985 put this requirement into law.

"The heightened awareness has increased the visibility of domestic violence and ushered in a number of laws intended to protect the victims," said Caryn Willett, who coordinates the San Joaquin County district attorney's office family crimes unit. "There's not the fear, nor the public shame, that there used to be. People now realize this isn't tied to someone's economic or social standing. It affects all of us."

Even so, it's not uncommon for people to change their minds after bruises disappear and physical injuries heal. That is one reason video cameras often are used to record statements as soon as possible.

"It's a reminder to the victim of the damage done. We make it clear this is evidence and she needs to follow through," Willett said. "If the victim is hesitant to testify, video and pictures can help motivate the abuser to admit his crime and enter a plea."

Bee staff writer Richard T. Estrada can be reached at 578-2316 or restrada@modbee.com.