Attorney General Josh Stein announced Wednesday a new tool that the state Department of Justice and some police departments will use to prevent homicides related to domestic violence.
Stein outlined the prevention tool at a press event with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney and Karen Parker of the domestic violence services organization Safe Alliance.
The Lethality Assessment Protocol will help police officers identify when victims of domestic violence are at a high risk of future harm from their partners.
Stein spoke to the impact the tool could have on those victims of domestic violence.
“Because when victims of domestic violence are connected with service providers who can give them that wrap-around support that they need, we will decrease the number of people who ultimately are murdered by their intimate partner,” Stein said.
The protocol announced Wednesday is currently being implemented in six North Carolina counties, including Mecklenburg and Davidson. Stein said that his office will be partnering with law enforcement agencies and domestic violence service providers to host training sessions for police officers in the state’s 94 other counties.
