State police adopt domestic violence screening program

Harrisburg, Pa. — Pennsylvania State Police will begin using a screening process meant to identify domestic violence victims at higher risk of being killed and connect them with help, the agency announced Oct. 30.

Troopers responding to qualifying domestic violence incidents will use a standardized screening, called the Lethality Assessment Program, to identify factors associated with increased risk of homicide, according to state police. When someone is identified as being at elevated risk, troopers can connect the victim immediately with a local domestic violence advocate or hotline for safety planning, advocacy, shelter referrals and other services.

The program reaching state police “signifies an important milestone in ensuring the LAP reaches each one of our 67 counties across our Commonwealth,” said Lt. Col. George L. Bivens, acting state police commissioner.

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who chairs the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, said advocates had been asking for state police to adopt the program “particularly in the more rural communities that PSP covers.”

State police join 493 other law enforcement agencies and 52 domestic violence programs that use the program in Pennsylvania, according to the release. In the last two years, it was put in place at 62 new police departments. In 2025, law enforcement conducted more than 3,600 screenings, and 2,437 identified survivors at high risk.

The coalition models its program on Maryland’s, where domestic violence-related deaths dropped 32% between 2008 and 2013, according to state police.