Most of this article tells the story of a woman who'd been stabbed to death by her partner. Way down in the story is the information -- all of it, below -- about how police officers in Columbus will be trained to do a lethality assessment.
To be more solution-oriented, the reporter or editor could have provided the list of questions or a link to DangerAssessment.org, which provides those questions for people who think they may be at risk for harm.
Columbus police officers and Franklin County deputies will be trained over the next year to use a “lethality assessment,” a screening tool to help determine the danger to a domestic-abuse victim.
They will ask the victim a series of questions and, if appropriate, point out that he or she is in danger and that other people have been killed in similar situations. The officers will immediately reach out for help, instead of leaving it to the victim.
“They’re calling the (domestic-violence) hot line with the victim, as opposed to giving the phone number and leaving the scene,” said Sue Villilo, interim executive director of CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence, which offers shelter and other services.
When Maryland instituted a lethality-assessment program, officials found that only 4 percent of domestic-violence homicide victims had ever availed themselves of any services or help. In half of the homicides, officers had previously been called to the scene, just as in Leslie Manner’s case.
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