POUGHKEEPSIE — Dutchess County is setting the standard statewide in efforts to reduce domestic violence, local officials say. The county’s success is largely attributed to its use of the Lethality Assessment Protocol, a tool also adopted in Broome and Westchester counties as well as in five other states.
The lethality assessment, a standard 11-question survey administered by officers at the scene of a domestic violence incident, helps determine whether a situation poses a high risk for homicide. State Sen. Rob Rolison (R-Poughkeepsie) has co-sponsored a bill requiring all law enforcement agencies in New York to use the assessment during domestic violence calls to help identify high-risk cases.The bill passed the state Senate in February and is currently under consideration in the Assembly.
“Lethality assessments are a critical tool that connects survivors to immediate, life-saving support with the goal of preventing domestic violence homicide,” said Family Services’ CEO Leah Feldman. “They are highly effective as they work in three key ways: helping victims understand their level of risk, creating an immediate connection to life-saving support like Family Services, and activating a coordinated community response that is essential to preventing domestic violence.”
“Dutchess County has been a leader in New York State in advancing innovative, trauma-informed responses to domestic violence for decades,” Feldman said during a recent presentation. “In 2014, following a series of domestic violence homicides in our community and a collective determination to improve the systems around domestic violence, Dutchess County became the first county in the state to implement the Lethality Assessment Program — an approach now being considered for statewide mandate.”
Family Services coordinates the Universal Response to Domestic Violence project, which includes training programs like the Lethality Assessment for law enforcement, probation officers and other service providers. Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati and District Attorney Anthony Parisi are among the key partners in these efforts and were early members of the URDV Steering Committee.
“We are so far ahead of the curve in what we’re doing in Dutchess County,” Imperati said. “With my counterpart, Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa, who is also president of the Sheriff’s Association, we’re going to get all 62 sheriffs on board with the Lethality Assessment Program.”
“When a community comes together with compassion, with partnership, with purpose, real change is possible,” Parisi said.
The Lethality Assessment questionnaire used by Dutchess County law enforcement agencies:
Comments