Police would assess risk of serious harm in domestic violence cases

Officers would check an apparent victim's risk of serious injury or death. This applies when officers respond to a domestic violence incident or have enough evidence to reasonably believe one happened. Covered incidents include harm or threats against a family or household member. The assessment must be approved by the Domestic Violence Resource for Increasing Safety and Connection. Officers would immediately connect the apparent victim to victim support services if needed. This requirement would take effect July 1, 2026.

Police agencies would send assessment information to their jurisdictions and to local and statewide teams that review domestic violence deaths. The statewide team would study the information. This applies to assessments that officers file with their police agencies after domestic violence incidents. These provisions would take effect July 1, 2026.

Courts could not use statements shared during an assessment as evidence against the victim. Parties in a lawsuit could not demand those statements through the evidence sharing process. This covers all statements shared during a domestic violence risk assessment. This protection would take effect July 1, 2026.