Utah state senators voted unanimously in favor of a proposal from Republican Todd Weiler that would require law enforcement throughout Utah to ask a series of 11 questions in situations where they suspect intimate partner violence.
, was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after returning alone to his parents’ home in Florida.
Less than two years later, with civil litigation still pending, lawmakers in Utah are advancing legislation to strengthen how police investigate suspected intimate partner violence like the kind now believed to have led to Petito's death. The “Lethality Assessment Protocol” on which Utah's proposal is based was first piloted in Maryland two decades ago. Roughly half of law enforcement departments in Utah currently use the assessment protocol, yet as of now there is no statewide mandate.
Though police officers regularly ask questions when they have probable cause to believe crimes like domestic violence are being committed, those in the assessment are designed to screen for risk and are based on statistical data that draws correlations between certain behaviors and danger to potential victims' lives, Weiler said. They include questions about prior threats, access to firearms and a history of behavior such as choking, jealousy or spying.
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