Colorado Mandatory Lethality Assessment Act

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not provide an effective date for when this law begins.

Colorado Mandatory Lethality Assessment Act

This law requires police officers to ask specific safety questions during domestic violence calls, connect high-risk victims with advocates if needed, and complete special training by July 2027.

What This Bill Does

• Requires peace officers to conduct a lethality assessment when responding to domestic violence incidents.
• Mandates that officers include the completed assessment in their official incident reports.
• Orders officers to immediately contact a community-based victim's advocate if an individual is identified as high-risk based on the assessment or officer judgment.
• Directs the attorney general to create and provide mandatory training for peace officers by June 1, 2027.
• Requires law enforcement agencies to ensure all officers finish this training starting July 1, 2027.
• Sets deadlines for annual reports to lawmakers beginning in January 2028 and a full evaluation of the program's effectiveness by January 31, 2030.

Who It Names or Affects

• Peace officers responding to domestic violence incidents
• Victims of domestic violence who are present at the scene
• Law enforcement agencies that employ peace officers
• The attorney general's office and community-based victim advocates

Terms To Know

Lethality assessment

A set of questions used to determine if a domestic violence situation poses an immediate risk.

High-risk victim

An individual identified through the assessment or officer judgment as being in danger based on the totality of circumstances.

Limits and Unknowns

• Officers do not have to give the assessment if a victim is unavailable, incapacitated, or if conditions make it impossible.
• The law does not state when this act officially takes effect beyond its enactment date.
• Agencies that already provided similar training before July 1, 2027, are exempt from providing additional training.

Official Summary Text

The act creates the 'Colorado Mandatory Lethality Assessment Act', which requires peace officers to conduct a lethality assessment when responding to a domestic violence incident and include the completed lethality assessment in the incident report. A peace officer is not required to administer a lethality assessment if a victim is unavailable, not at the scene, incapacitated, or if circumstances otherwise make the administration of the lethality assessment impossible or impracticable. If the lethality assessment indicates that an individual is a high-risk victim, or if the lethality assessment does not indicate a victim is high-risk but a peace officer determines an individual is a high-risk victim based on the totality of the circumstances, the peace officer is required to immediately contact a community-based victim's advocate either by phone or in person and provide the high-risk victim the opportunity to speak with the advocate.
The act requires the attorney general's office, in consultation with a Colorado-based coalition that advocates for survivors of domestic violence, to develop a mandatory training for peace officers to learn how to administer the lethality assessment and provide victim referrals. No later than June 1, 2027, the attorney general is required to make the training available and offer assistance to law enforcement agencies in providing the training. Beginning July 1, 2027, the act requires each law enforcement agency to ensure that each peace officer employed by the agency has completed the mandatory training; except that a law enforcement agency that has provided training on the administration of lethality assessments prior to July 1, 2027, is not required to provide additional training.
Beginning January 2028, and each January thereafter, the act requires the attorney general's office to report to the general assembly certain information related to lethality assessments conducted in the previous calendar year. No later than January 31, 2030, the domestic violence fatality review board shall evaluate the effectiveness of mandatory lethality assessments and referrals to resources and submit the evaluation to the general assembly.
The act does not impose criminal, administrative, or civil liability on any person for an act or omission made in good faith related to administering a lethality assessment.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)