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West Valley City police train to better handle domestic violence encounters

Posted at 4:33 PM, Dec 09, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-09 18:33:35-05

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah -- Domestic violence continues to be a serious problem in the state of Utah, and, Wednesday, West Valley City police officers went through lethality assessment training.

The training gives law enforcement a tool to assess how serious the lethality is in a particular relationship.

The assessment consists of 11 questions that an officer who reports on a domestic violence call can ask the victim, and the goal is to help the officer understand whether that victim is in a high danger situation.

“This is an additional tool that officers can use in the field, while they’re on scene investigating a domestic violence crime,” said Deputy Chief Phil Quinlan of the West Valley City Police Department, adding: “It’s not just about law enforcement addressing the problem, it’s also about providing services to the victim. It’s about prosecuting those offenders who commit these crimes, and holding them accountable.”

West Valley City PD is also working with South Valley Services to connect victims with the services they need in the face of domestic violence issues.