Domestic Violence Detective Dedicated To Delivering Justice

Image of Detective Joe Fitzner

When it’s Joe Fitzner’s turn in the rotation, he’ll receive 15 to 30, sometimes more, cases in a week to investigate.

These are domestic violence cases from across Kansas City – affecting all ages, genders, races, religions, nationalities, and socio-economic statuses.

“I understand how volatile some relationships can be and how scary it can be for these survivors who don’t want to be dealing with the law enforcement aspect,” Fitzner reflected. “They just want to get safe.”

An eight-year veteran of KCPD’s Domestic Violence Unit, Fitzner is adamant about delivering justice for people who have suffered through abuse. In his experience, survivors end up safer when they can find the strength to stay the course in a prosecution.

“We are working as hard as we can to keep them safe and to make suspects go to jail,” Fitzner said. “It’s more challenging when survivors don’t cooperate and unfortunately, that happens way more than people realize.”

Fitzner is quick to point out that the police department can help, but it’s KCPD’s partners that provide an invaluable service to survivors. “They do wonders for them,” Fitzner said.

For a list of local resources, click here – https://kcpolice.org/crime/victim-resources/domestic-violence/

The son of a former KCPD detective, Fitzner always knew he wanted to be a detective. While he enjoyed being a patrol officer, he wanted to see what happened with the rest of the case, with the people who called for help.

Today, Fitzner, the longest-tenured detective in the DV Unit, is still grateful when survivors tell them how appreciative they are when justice comes calling.