Florida lawmakers want to ensure officers are asking the right questions when responding to domestic violence calls to better assess the level of danger and help victims whose lives may be at risk. 

A new bill passed by the House and Senate, and advocated for by Joseph Petito, Chair of the LAP Committee in Florida, created a set of 12 mandatory questions law enforcement will have to ask a potential victim when responding to a domestic violence call. Senate Bill 1224 includes widespread reforms designed to help children and victims of crime, as well as lethality assessment protocols. Those protocols are already in use in 32 other states.

In January, Joseph Petito appeared before the Florida Senate Committee on criminal justice to advocate for the new rules.  Petito told senators the assessment program will help save lives, especially in situations similar to Gabby’s where a victim may not fully appreciate or be willing to admit the danger they’re facing. 

"It’s to make sure people know where to go when these questions are asked," Petito explained. "They can answer ‘no’ to all the questions, but an officer’s intuition might tell them they’re still in a bad situation and say, ‘let me get this advocate on the line.’ Most people don’t know where to go when it comes to services and what services they have at their disposal. Not everybody needs a shelter. Not everybody needs financial guidance or a pro bono lawyer, but they do need to know how to get out of a situation safely."