SALT LAKE CITY — In 2023, Utah passed Senate Bill 117 requiring all law enforcement officers to conduct a lethality assessment when responding to intimate partner violence. This was put forth to identify domestic violence and potentially deadly relationships.
"The lethality assessment has been overwhelmingly successful" said Kimmi Wolf, a communications specialist for Utah Domestic Violence Coalition.
The Utah Department of Public Safety reported that from July 2023 through December 2024, more than 16,000 lethality assessment protocols were submitted by 144 agencies.
Wolf explained the purpose of conducting a lethality assessment.
"It's validation from an officer. It's really kind of helping the victim understand: 'A law enforcement officer is scared for you, and I want to get you help,'" said Wolf.
Officers ask questions to potential victims of domestic violence.
"They are there to assess the potential lethality of each situation, and then hoping that they can advise and support the victim in that situation to seek resources," said Wolf.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said the lethality assessment was a step in the right direction, but there's still work to be done.
"Create a baseline similar form when it comes to intimate partner violence that we put out there statewide, so we're investigating it in the same way, so no two cases of intimate partner violence are treated differently by the asset of jurisdiction," Gill suggested.
The 2025 legislative session is just days away, and the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition is advocating for more resources.
"For accessible housing, additional funding for lethality prevention, to address the increase in requests for services, and then family court improvements. When we bring this to a legislator and they understand the impact it's having, that's really where we need the support of a legislator because that's really the champion we need," said Wolf.
Reminding people, they are not alone.
"We always encourage people to reach out for resources that are in the community to create a safety plan," said Gill.
Utah Domestic Violence has resources here. Other Utah organizations are: Utah Department of Health & Human Services, The Refuge Utah, and YWCA Utah.
"Many of these nonprofits who are there in our community are there to help them and empower them to when it is time to leave and how they can safeguard themselves in this process," said Gill.
