MOUNT VERNON — The importance of a renewed partnership was highlighted on Tuesday evening at the annual meeting of New Directions, the domestic abuse shelter and rape crisis center of Knox County.
Lori Jones-Perkins, New Directions executive director, said that for reasons unknown to her, the relationship between law enforcement and the shelter had deteriorated. Since becoming executive director several years ago, she has worked to repair the relationship.
“It’s been a lot of work on our part and law enforcement being willing,” she said of the renewed partnership.
“It’s a network that we were lacking that was long overdue,” said Mount Vernon Police Capt. Scott McKnight. “We are certainly moving in the right direction.”
The partnership was reinforced with the introduction of the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP). The goal of LAP is to prevent domestic violence homicides by identifying victims who are at the highest risk of being seriously injured or killed by their intimate partner. The program was rolled out in February.
When an officer arrives on the scene of a call, and the individuals involved are intimate partners, the officer will ask the victim three questions:
- Has he/she ever used a weapon against you or threatened you with a weapon?
- Has he/she threatened to kill you or your children?
- Do you think he/she might try to kill you?
A yes answer to any one of the three questions triggers a referral for New Directions staff to come on scene, if the victim is willing.
The officer then asks eight additional questions that help assess the danger risk. Positive answers to at least four will also trigger a referral to New Directions. Questions include whether the perpetrator has access to a weapon, has ever threatened children who might be involved, is violently jealous or controlling, and is unemployed.
“A lot of domestic violence before this came about was based on evidence,” said McKnight. “You had to have a black eye. That’s not the way it should be. We saw a need for some of these questions.”
From Feb. 1 through Sept. 30, local law enforcement received 90 LAP calls. Seventy percent were high-danger calls. The majority (57) were through the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. The Mount Vernon Police Department received 30, with the remaining three coming from Fredericktown (2) and Danville (1) departments.
“About 70 to 75 percent of the LAP calls we are getting are people not previously being served [by New Directions],” said Jones-Perkins.
LAP involves only intimate-partner incidents. The impact of domestic violence overall is much greater. So far in 2019, county law enforcement has responded to 107 domestic violence, 28 assault, and six stalking calls. The MVPD has responded to 55 domestic violence, eight assault, and four stalking calls.
McKnight said the LAP assessment provides “hard-core, concrete evidence” and can be used in court even if a victim declines to testify. It is also helpful because some cases take 18 months to reach the courtroom, by which time recollections can be hazy.
“A lot of this is testimony from the victim,” he said. “This is a very valuable tool for our prosecutors, especially if we are looking at a jury trial.”
A second valuable aspect of the LAP assessment is that it educates victims what to look for in the future. Sheriff David Shaffer, who was unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting, provided the group his thoughts about LAP:
“The LAP assessment helps officers maintain a more consistent approach,” he wrote. “I think some victims don’t realize the potential danger cues until they answer the questions.”
In addition to responding in crisis situations and operating a safe house for victims of domestic, intimate partner, and sexual violence, New Directions offers many community prevention programs geared toward youths of all ages and adults. All Knox County schools have at least one prevention program in place; Danville has five and Mount Vernon’s district has four.
Last year, those prevention programs reached 150 individuals and more than 1,800 students.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. To increase awareness, the Rastin Tower in Ariel-Foundation Park as well as the pedestrian bridge and viaduct on South Main Street will be lit in purple this week.
New Directions operates a 24-hour hotline — 740-397-HELP (4357) — to respond to crisis calls from individuals who have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional assault. Administrative offices are located at 110 E. Gambier St. in Mount Vernon and are open to the public by appointment or on a walk-in basis, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call 740-397-1106 or email info@newdirectionsshelter.org.
