Res 1110-2025

Whereas, A lethality assessment is a resource that uses an evidence-based questionnaire to identify the risk of serious injury or homicide by an intimate partner and are a useful tool for law enforcement when responding to a domestic dispute; and Whereas, When a victim is deemed high-risk, the assessment protocol connects them immediately with a domestic violence service provider via a hotline for safety planning and immediate resources; and Whereas, This collaborative police and social service intervention has its roots in Maryland, but other states including Utah and Florida have recently codified lethality assessments into law to ensure all police departments are able to utilize this tool aimed at fully assessing a domestic situation; and Whereas, Studies have shown that the combination of questioning a victim while immediately providing resources is a powerful mechanism in reducing deadly outcomes for victims; and Whereas, Through the lethality assessment and resource sharing, law enforcement empowers victims with information, potentially saving their lives; and Whereas, According to a 2024 study, the use of lethality assessments has been found to reduce homicide rates in domestic violence situations by almost 40 percent; and Whereas, From 2010 through 2022 in New York City (NYC), there were 793 domestic violence homicide incidents involving 854 victims, accounting for 16.7 percent of all homicides that occurred in NYC during that time; and Whereas, Homicides, the most extreme outcome of domestic violence, made up only a small fraction of all reported domestic violence incidents across NYC; and Whereas, The New York City Police Department respond to approximately 230,000 domestic incidents annually, or nearly six-hundred calls a day; and Whereas, S.2280-A/A.4899-A will codify uniform lethality assessment requirements into law to provide consistency across the state in the application and reporting of facts during a domestic dispute; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S.2280-A/A.4899-A, which would require law enforcement officers to conduct a lethality assessment in incidents of domestic violence. KS LS 20548 10/9/2025 10:35 AM