Domestic violence happens more often than you know and it can be deadly. Current news headlines tell the story, “Police Seek Man in Possible Fairway Domestic Violence Shooting” and “Domestic Violence was at the Root of Quadruple Homicide in KCK, Relatives Say.” In the past few weeks, six people have lost their lives as the result of domestic violence in the Kansas City metro. The victims ranged from a three year old girl to a 66 year old truck driver. Some were victims of domestic violence, one was a perpetrator of abuse, and a few were friends trying to help. Sadly, these are just a few of the over 1,400 people who will die in the United States this year as the result of domestic violence.
According to SAFEHOME Executive Director Sharon Katz, “I often tell staff when they first begin working at SAFEHOME that we are in the business of homicide prevention. That is one of the reasons SAFEHOME is partnering with fellow domestic violence agencies to help victims of domestic violence who are at the most serious risk of being killed.”
On June 1, the Kansas City Police Department, Grandview Police Department, Raytown Police Department, Rose Brooks Center, Hope House, and Synergy Services joined forces to implement the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP). Created by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, LAP uses police first-responders to encourage victims who are in grave danger to seek domestic violence program services. According to research on which the program is based, only 4% of women killed by their abuser had ever received domestic violence program services.
When a police officer responds to a domestic violence call, they will ask a series of 12 questions to determine how likely it is for a victim to be killed by their abuser. Questions include: “Has your partner threatened to kill you or your children?” or “Has your partner ever used a weapon against you or threatened you with a weapon?” If the victim’s response indicates a high risk for homicide, the officer will call one of the partnering domestic violence agencies. If the victim chooses not to speak with a hotline advocate, the officer will review factors that are predictive of death so the victims can be on the lookout for them. Additionally, officers will provide victims with domestic violence resource referrals. In situations where the victim chooses to speak with a hotline advocate, every effort will be made to ensure the victim’s safety. If the client wishes to seek safe refuge, and Missouri shelter they are speaking with is over capacity, SAFEHOME may be called to provide shelter.
SAFEHOME Shelter Director Kathy Cox said, “All the shelters in the Kansas City metropolitan area communicate daily about space available so referrals can be made when a shelter called is full. With the new Lethality Assessment Program, every effort will be made to ensure the victims are safe immediately. In some cases at SAFEHOME, this means we will exceed capacity. SAFEHOME will utilize couches if it is necessary to help save a life.”
