Governor Dannel P. Malloy has proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the State of Connecticut.

And on October 1, Newtown Police Lieutenant Christopher Vanghele told The Newtown Bee he was days away from starting a “train the trainer” program so the local department can implement a Lethality Assessment Program (LAP). The program has been implemented among a growing number of local police agencies since it was introduced through the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV) in 2012.

That same day, Gov Malloy announced the Connecticut State Police will be adopting LAP to keep victims of domestic violence safe by counseling and advocacy and support services.

The program employs a two-pronged intervention process where first responders to domestic violence calls conduct a research-based lethality screening, and if necessary, immediately connecting victims with advocates for support and safety information.

Locally, every responding officer will be trained by Lt Vanghele in conducting the assessment.

Once trained, any Newtown officer arriving on the scene of a domestic violence incident will assess the situation. If factors indicate danger exist, the officer will ask the victim a series of 11 questions that comprise the “Lethality Screen for First Responders.”

LAP protocol then directs law enforcement to initiate the intervention action as a result of the screening assessment.

Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe said Newtown had been looking at being among the first departments in the state to participate in the LAP pilot in the fall of 2012, “but then 12/14 happened,” he told The Newtown Bee. “Lethality assessment was something we had been doing internally, but this new tool gives us something that is effective, and that all our officers can work with in the field.”

In making the announcement about state police inclusion in the LAP program, Gov Malloy said, “With practices like this in place, we will undoubtedly save lives. I commend the Connecticut State Police and the many municipal police departments for their adoption of this vital tool.”

Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Dora B. Schriro said the state is already preparing all state troopers to incorporate the lethality assessment into their response to domestic violence calls.

“It is our goal,” she said, “to train all of our troopers during October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, to underscore our commitment to those affected by domestic violence.”

The LAP is based upon research conducted by Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing over the past 25 years. 

The research states:

*Only 4 percent of domestic violence murder victims nationwide had ever availed themselves of domestic violence program services;

*In 50 percent of domestic violence-related homicides, officers had previously responded to a call at the scene; and

*The reassault of domestic violence victims in high danger was reduced by 60 percent if they went into shelter.

“Connecticut is truly strengthened by the implementation of the Lethality Assessment Program by the Connecticut State Police,” said Karen Jarmoc, CEO of CCADV, which oversees the Lethality Assessment Program in Connecticut. “Lethality assessment has proven to be a very effective tool. Close to 80 percent of victims deemed by police to be in high danger situations have been immediately connected to their local domestic violence organization for safety planning. This is a life-saving tool and we look forward to working with Connecticut State Police to assist in its implementation.”

Maryland was the first state to adopt the LAP. It experienced a 34 percent drop in intimate partner domestic violence homicides between July 2007 and June 2012. The LAP is now being used by hundreds of jurisdictions in 32 states. Currently, 33 municipal police departments in Connecticut are using it.

The Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council is providing training to municipal police departments on the use of the LAP. The council has also voted unanimously to promulgate a model policy on the LAP.

Lt Vanghele begins his training October 8, and is committed to having the LAP program implemented no later than January 1, although he said on October 1 he is hoping it will be sooner.

Since 2000, 188 victims have been killed in Connecticut as a result of intimate partner violence. An average of 20,000 family violence incidents in Connecticut result in at least one arrest annually, with 73 percent of these incidents involving intimate partners.

In 2013, one third of all cases in Connecticut’s criminal courts involved family violence. In any given year, approximately 9,000 restraining order applications are filed in Connecticut’s family courts.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy has proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the State of Connecticut.

And on October 1, Newtown Police Lieutenant Christopher Vanghele told The Newtown Bee he was days away from starting a “train the trainer” program so the local department can implement a Lethality Assessment Program (LAP). The program has been implemented among a growing number of local police agencies since it was introduced through the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV) in 2012.

That same day, Gov Malloy announced the Connecticut State Police will be adopting LAP to keep victims of domestic violence safe by counseling and advocacy and support services.

The program employs a two-pronged intervention process where first responders to domestic violence calls conduct a research-based lethality screening, and if necessary, immediately connecting victims with advocates for support and safety information.

Locally, every responding officer will be trained by Lt Vanghele in conducting the assessment.

Once trained, any Newtown officer arriving on the scene of a domestic violence incident will assess the situation. If factors indicate danger exist, the officer will ask the victim a series of 11 questions that comprise the “Lethality Screen for First Responders.”

LAP protocol then directs law enforcement to initiate the intervention action as a result of the screening assessment.

Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe said Newtown had been looking at being among the first departments in the state to participate in the LAP pilot in the fall of 2012, “but then 12/14 happened,” he told The Newtown Bee. “Lethality assessment was something we had been doing internally, but this new tool gives us something that is effective, and that all our officers can work with in the field.”

In making the announcement about state police inclusion in the LAP program, Gov Malloy said, “With practices like this in place, we will undoubtedly save lives. I commend the Connecticut State Police and the many municipal police departments for their adoption of this vital tool.”

Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Dora B. Schriro said the state is already preparing all state troopers to incorporate the lethality assessment into their response to domestic violence calls.

“It is our goal,” she said, “to train all of our troopers during October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, to underscore our commitment to those affected by domestic violence.”

The LAP is based upon research conducted by Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing over the past 25 years. 

The research states:

*Only 4 percent of domestic violence murder victims nationwide had ever availed themselves of domestic violence program services;

*In 50 percent of domestic violence-related homicides, officers had previously responded to a call at the scene; and

*The reassault of domestic violence victims in high danger was reduced by 60 percent if they went into shelter.

“Connecticut is truly strengthened by the implementation of the Lethality Assessment Program by the Connecticut State Police,” said Karen Jarmoc, CEO of CCADV, which oversees the Lethality Assessment Program in Connecticut. “Lethality assessment has proven to be a very effective tool. Close to 80 percent of victims deemed by police to be in high danger situations have been immediately connected to their local domestic violence organization for safety planning. This is a life-saving tool and we look forward to working with Connecticut State Police to assist in its implementation.”

Maryland was the first state to adopt the LAP. It experienced a 34 percent drop in intimate partner domestic violence homicides between July 2007 and June 2012. The LAP is now being used by hundreds of jurisdictions in 32 states. Currently, 33 municipal police departments in Connecticut are using it.

The Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council is providing training to municipal police departments on the use of the LAP. The council has also voted unanimously to promulgate a model policy on the LAP.

Lt Vanghele begins his training October 8, and is committed to having the LAP program implemented no later than January 1, although he said on October 1 he is hoping it will be sooner.

Since 2000, 188 victims have been killed in Connecticut as a result of intimate partner violence. An average of 20,000 family violence incidents in Connecticut result in at least one arrest annually, with 73 percent of these incidents involving intimate partners.

In 2013, one third of all cases in Connecticut’s criminal courts involved family violence. In any given year, approximately 9,000 restraining order applications are filed in Connecticut’s family courts.