LAP is administered at the scene, after the officer’s investigation of the incident is complete. It takes about 5–10 minutes.
After an officer concludes the investigation of the underlying DV incident, a predominant aggressor has been identified, and a report will be taken, the officer should administer the LAP screen to the victim privately, away from the aggressor.
The screen is 11 yes/no questions plus Question 12, an open-ended safety question every victim is asked. The officer then tallies the number of yes answers to determine if the victim is “High-Danger.”
If the victim screens at High-Danger, the officer calls the LAP hotline from the scene. The LAP hotline will be answered by a confidential community-based domestic violence organization who will provide immediate safety planning with the victim. The officer will briefly share the result and the YES answers with the advocate, and — with the victim’s consent — hand the phone over to the victim who will speak to the advocate for 5-10 minutes to do initial safety planning and schedule a follow-up.
A law enforcement victim advocate is encouraged to still work with the victim and provide resources. The LAP hotline advocate provides an additional confidential resource that complements the work of a law enforcement victim advocate.
The officer will document the screen result and will submit the screen result to the Colorado Department of Law when the submission portal is available (approximately December 2027).
For full scoring rules, the officer override, and step-by-step post-screen procedures, see the LAP FAQ for Officers (PDF).