A new assessment tool is showing promise at intervening in Wisconsin domestic violence cases.
In 2016, the state had a total of 73 murders and suicides related to domestic violence — the most since End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, a statewide coalition, started tracking domestic violence deaths in 2000.
To increase support for victims of domestic violence, Dunn County in western Wisconsin started using the Lethality Assessment Program a year and a half ago.
When police respond to a domestic violence call, they ask the victim a series of 11 questions designed to identify high risk factors for domestic violence. Questions include if there are any issues with violence or jealously in the relationship, if there are any guns in the home and whether or not the perpetrator has threatened to kill the victim.
"We get about 10 to 12 calls each month. So, we're talking directly to victims that probably would not have called us before," said Naomi Cummings, executive director of The Bridge to Hope, a Menomonie-based domestic abuse shelter. "We feel like we're making a vital difference. We're helping people with restraining orders that might not have contacted us before, and they're coming in for shelter for their own safety."
The Lethality Assessment Program is being used sparingly in Wisconsin. Dunn County is the second county in the state to use it.
Crystal Jensen, an Eau Claire County prosecutor, would like to see the program spread.
"What's really great about the Lethality Assessment Program is it not only helps link victims to services and to assistance, but it helps law enforcement better understand their victims, and it also helps victims realize how dangerous their situation is," she said.
Jensen is also the Northwest Region Violence Against Women resource prosecutor. She works with law enforcement and prosecutors in 22 counties to become better at prosecuting domestic violence and sexual assault.