Reflecting on a year of the domestic violence lethality assessment law
Oct 14, 2024, 7:00 PM | Updated: Oct 16, 2024, 5:03 pm
SLC detectives and SWAT respond to a scene of a domestic violence situation in Sugarhouse (Salt Lake City Police Department)
(Salt Lake City Police Department)
SALT LAKE CITY — It’s been over a year since the domestic violence lethality assessment law went into place and lawmakers say it’s made a difference in how judges and victims respond to these potentially deadly situations.
Lethality assessments help protect the victim
State Senator Todd Weiler told Dave and Dujanovic the law is helping inform officers, judges – and even the victims.
“Many of these, men and women, because they both can be victims,” Weiler said. “They don’t know how to compare their views with their relationship to other normal relationships, to healthy relationships.”
Weiler says sometimes people in these situations don’t know how to compare their relationship or the abuse they endured to other healthy relationships. The assessment helps simplify it with 11 questions. The higher the score, the more danger the victim is in.
“If they give seven, eight, nine, ten yes answers, hopefully these officers have been trained to say you should not go home tonight its not safe, you need to find somewhere else to stay. And that’s the whole idea of the legality assessment,” Weiler said.
Officers use lethality assessments during investigation
Police in Utah have been required to conduct a lethality assessment when responding to domestic violence reports for over a year now.
“The officer is usually there to investigate, perhaps arrest or cite the aggressor,” Weiler said. “And so this is more of a warning to the victim to say hey, you may not realize it but you are actually in a tremendous amount of danger. ”
Weiler says the scoring system also breaks it down and makes it simpler for a judge to understand.
According to Weiler, they’ve been tracking domestic abuse situations in the state for decades. But the assessment helps keep it concise and in one place.
Lethality assessment: What is it and how can it help domestic violence victims?
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, help is available.
Utah Domestic Violence LINKLine
1-800-897-LINK (5465)
If LINKLine advocates experience an increased call volume, they will forward calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
You can find resources to prevent domestic violence on our website at kslnewsradio.com.
