Domestic Violence Danger and Lethality Assessments
Approximately 60 percent of homicides in Clackamas County are domestic violence-related.1Interview with Clackamas County Sheriff by Sunny Schnitzer, Gary Therkilden, and Nadia Chait of Everytown for Gun Safety, 2019. In June 2011, Clackamas County instituted the Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) program.2 Ibid. The program is modeled after Maryland’s Lethality Assessment Protocol. Both the Clackamas and Maryland tools are adapted from Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell’s Danger Assessment, a screening tool for counselors and clinicians.3Battered Women’s Justice Project, “Maryland’s Lethality Assessment Program: From Research into Practice,” December 2009, https://bit.ly/3GdtuU5. The Clackamas LAP is a data-driven screening tool that assists law enforcement and service providers in identifying high-risk domestic violence victims and connecting them with resources and services.4Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, “Clackamas County Lethality Assessment Program,” October 2015, http://bit.ly/2J7WSzE.
Law enforcement personnel who respond to a domestic incident are required to ask the victim 11 evidence-based questions intended to assess the victim’s risk of homicide.5Clackamas Women’s Center, “Clackamas Lethality Assessment Tool Information.” If the victim’s responses indicate that he or she is at an increased risk for homicide, the responding officer connects the victim with the Clackamas Women’s Services 24-hour domestic violence hotline.6Ibid. The victim has the choice to speak with an advocate over the phone to receive services and resources.7Ibid.
The program started as a partnership between the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and Clackamas Women’s Services. In 2014, the program expanded to include all Clackamas County police departments.8Rick Bella, “Clackamas County Police Adopt New System to Help Prevent Domestic Violence,” The Oregonian Live (Portland), November 3, 2014, updated January 10, 2019, accessed September 17, 2019, http://bit.ly/35QeBVI. In the first three years of the program, 1,023 survivors were connected with services.9Ibid.
As of 2015, the total cost of the LAP program was $22,000: $2,000 for LAP screen printing , $10,000 to fund a domestic violence victim assistant, and $10,000 to increase hotline staffing at Clackamas County Women’s Center.10Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Clackamas County Lethality Assessment Program, “Funding for Clackamas County-wide Lethality Assessment Program,” November 19, 2015, http://bit.ly/2J4w03q. The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office was able to provide some services at no cost or through grant funding.11Ibid.
In addition to the Lethality Assessment Protocol, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office has a dedicated Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team (DVRT). It provides a coordinated response with other domestic violence partners to improve domestic violence investigations, prosecution, and offender accountability.12Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, “DVERT (Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team),” 2019, https://www.clackamas.us/sheriff/dvert.html.