Police Officers' Experiences with and Perceptions of the Lethality Assessment Program

• In Event: You Can Teach an Old Dog a New Trick: Enhancing Policing Strategies

Abstract

The Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) was developed by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence to help police officers responding to domestic violence calls identify victims at high risk for serious or lethal domestic violence and connect them to an advocate who provides safety planning and encourages victims to seek services. As of 2015, LAP is being implemented in jurisdictions in 34 states, including Connecticut. The purpose of this study was to assess police officers’ experiences with and perceptions of the LAP. The sample included 167 officers from 22 police departments in Connecticut. Participants completed an online survey, which included closed- and open-ended questions. Results indicated that officers find LAP to be somewhat effective as a tool for them to deal with domestic violence calls. When asked what they see as the positive and/or negative by-products of LAP, responses revealed that officers recognize important benefits of LAP (e.g., it gets victims help, increases victim safety). Officers also mentioned a wide array of negative by-products of LAP, including that it adds to the officer’s workload, is not an improvement over the previous protocol, and adds more time to the scene/call. Implications for future research and police departments considering implementing LAP will be discussed.

Authors

• Leila B. Dutton, University of New Haven

• Tracy Tamborra, University of New Haven

• Meagan Pittman, University of New Haven