FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Email: nahmed@ncdoj.gov
Phone: 919-538-2809
RALEIGH – Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined the Forest City Police Department and Family Resources of Rutherford County on Wednesday as Forest City adopts the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP), a life-saving approach to responding to domestic violence incidents. Rutherford County becomes the ninth county in North Carolina to have law enforcement agencies using this program to help protect people from being harmed by their partners.
“It’s our job to protect people from harm, and this tool is going to help law enforcement in Forest City step in when people are at risk of being injured or killed in their own homes,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “I thank Forest City for putting this program in place to keep their residents safe.”
Forest City will now train officers and victim service providers to use the LAP checklist when law enforcement responds to a domestic violence call. Based on the training and the checklist, an officer can run through a list of questions to determine whether a domestic violence victim is at high risk of injury or death at the hands of their partner. The criteria include past incidents of violence, as well as other non-violent and non-illegal behaviors that research indicates may be linked to homicides. If the officer determines that a victim is at risk, they connect the victim to a local domestic violence service provider who can provide support and safety resources.
In the first nine months of 2025, 1,842 victims in North Carolina were screened and connected to domestic violence services using the LAP tool.
“The implementation of the Lethality Assessment Program is more than just a new procedure — it’s a commitment to saving lives and strengthening the way we serve victims of domestic violence,” said Forest City Police Chief Chris LeRoy. “This initiative equips our officers with the tools and training to recognize the warning signs of escalating danger and to act before a situation turns deadly. By partnering closely with victim advocates and community resources, we can connect individuals in crisis to the help they need at the moment they need it most.”
“Having been with Family Resources of Rutherford County for 33 years, I have witnessed firsthand the growth and strengthening of partnerships between direct service providers and law enforcement,” said Sherry Bright, Executive Director of Family Resources of Rutherford County. “As Executive Director, I am truly excited to see the Lethality Assessment Protocol implemented in collaboration with the Forest City Police Department. This initiative represents an important step toward enhancing victim safety and ensuring greater access to resources for those we serve. I am especially grateful to Sergeant Leslie Meade for her leadership and dedication in spearheading this project, and I look forward to being a part of the upcoming training and continued collaboration that will help make this effort a success.”
The Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence initially developed LAP, and the North Carolina Department of Justice implemented the program in 2019. The Department of Justice provides training to law enforcement agencies and victim service agencies across the state so they can adopt the program.
More information on the program is available here.
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