LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville group supporting those who suffer from domestic violence says an important partnership with LMPD has dwindled in recent years -- missing out on a proven way to save the lives of people most at risk.
The Center for Women and Families (CWF) said coming into 2024, intimate partner violence made up about 10% of the city's homicides. For years, the Center and LMPD have worked to tackle the issue, but the CWF's CEO Elizabeth Martin believes that collaboration isn't at the level it once was.
"We were no longer a part of any training. We were no longer asked to come in and do training. Officers were no longer brought here to take a tour, to meet us, to keep that partnership tight," Martin said.
Experts in domestic violence cases say problems exist often far before it's obvious. It's why support groups and law enforcement agencies nationwide, and here in Louisville, have invested in the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) -- aimed at preventing intimate partner homicides and serious injuries.
LAP is a 13-question assessment, and each question is weighted to gauge the level of danger someone is facing. Depending on the responses, police can contact support groups that can provide the appropriate resources and counseling to victims.
"We do know that it saves lives," Martin said.
CWF has long worked with LMPD to make LAP assessments a part of officers' routines, but according to Martin, for one reason or another, this common practice by LMPD has been watered down post-pandemic.
"If we don't ask these questions on every domestic violence run, we're going to miss things, and the Center fears that people will die," Martin said.
However, Maj. Arnold Rivera, LMPD's Major Crimes Unit Commander, said the department has remained committed to LAP assessments on scene -- even saying "the data does not support" the claim that the practice has diminished.
"We will continue to work hard to reach out and to put people together with the much-needed services," Rivera said.
So, where's the disconnect?
"Any change that I observed in the data closely mirrors the decrease and/or increase in domestic violence related calls, so I did not observe a disparity," Rivera said.
Either way, Martin said the facts are undeniable, and she hopes a promise she said police made to her to reemphasize the program is kept.
For more information and services, you can call the domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or you can chat online at thehotline.org. And for local resources, you can contact the Center for Women and Families here.
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