LAP is a two-part intervention used at the scene of a DV call to identify victims at the highest risk of being killed — and connect them to a trained advocate in real time.
Part 1: A validated 11-question screen administered by the responding officer to gauge homicide risk in an intimate partner relationship.
Part 2: An on-scene “warm handoff” for victims who screen as High-Danger to the LAP hotline staffed by confidential advocates.
Both parts matter. Research consistently shows that the screen without warm handoff does not reduce violence.
Why LAP Works
LAP is grounded in Dr. Jacqueline Campbell’s decades of research on the risk factors most predictive of intimate partner homicide.1
It is one of the only validated risk assessment tools designed specifically to screen for DV lethality risk on scene — and the research evidence is strong. Maryland agencies that implemented LAP saw a 35–45% reduction in female intimate partner homicide, and Maryland’s DV-related deaths dropped 32% statewide between 2008 and 2013.2 Victims who received a LAP intervention were also significantly more likely to take protective actions — removing weapons, seeking protective orders, accessing DV services, and obtaining medical care — than those who did not.3
The screen and the warm handoff work together. Research consistently shows the screen without the phone call does not reduce violence.
LAP in Practice
LAP is in use across the country. In Colorado, 40+ agencies already use LAP voluntarily. Oklahoma, Utah, and Connecticut require LAP statewide.
Agencies that have implemented LAP report that it improves community trust, strengthens their working relationship with regional DV service providers, and provides a meaningful intervention tool on scene with a real connection to support — rather than a card and a phone number to call later.
How LAP Compares to Other Tools
LAP is victim-focused and designed for immediate on-scene use. Other risk assessment tools have different focuses and can be used complementarily to LAP. For example, the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) is offender-focused and used later in the process for case management and prosecution. The Danger Assessment is a longer, advocate-administered tool. These tools are often complementary and can be used together at the discretion of the agency.
To learn more about LAP please see this Frequently Asked Questions (PDF).
1 Lethality Assessment Program (Md. Network Against Domestic Violence), https://www.mnadv.org/lethalityassessmentprogram/ (opens new tab) (last visited May 27, 2026); see Jacquelyn C. Campbell et al., Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships: Results from a Multisite Case Control Study, 93 Am. J. Pub. Health 1089 (2003).
2 Md. Network Against Domestic Violence, LAP Effectiveness Position Paper (2022).
3 Jill T. Messing et al., The Lethality Assessment Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial (Nat’l Inst. of Justice 2015); Jacquelyn C. Campbell et al., LAP Effectiveness, 208 J. Econ. Behav. & Org. 99 (2023).