Ongoing efforts to support domestic violence survivors in some Colorado counties appear to be paying off, according to a new report released Tuesday by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office.
While the state as a whole saw domestic violence deaths drop by more than a third in 2023 compared to 2022, that progress has not been equal across all regions. Data from Denver County, for example, show a slight decrease in the number of domestic violence fatalities, falling from 11 deaths in 2022 to 10 in 2023. Meanwhile, other counties have seen much larger reductions.
One of the largest year-to-year declines in domestic violence deaths was in Adams County, which saw deaths fall by 70 percent between 2022 and 2023, going from 17 to five. Colorado’s 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason, said in a phone interview that the reduction coincides with his county’s creation of a Domestic Violence High Risk Team within its new Special Victims Unit.
The team is made up of nonprofit leaders and members of law enforcement. Members of the team are immediately assigned to domestic violence cases after they occur. They then perform a lethality assessment to determine how likely the survivor is to be fatally harmed by their partner.
“While I can't guarantee that these numbers going from 17 to five are specifically because of that team,” Mason said, “that work was not being done before and is now, and we're definitely seeing an improvement.”
The actions officials took in Adams County are in line with the state Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board’s recommendations to increase the use of Colorado’s Lethality Assessment Program. The program is centered on an evidence-based tool that includes 11 questions that help police officers assess risk and connect victims with confidential advocates. Not all police agencies are using them, however.
As of August, there were 36 agencies across six counties using CO LAP. By the end of 2024, the statewide coordinator aims to have more than 50 agencies across 10 counties using the tool. The push comes as numbers from the 2023 report show that of the 737 people screened by a lethality assessment, just 3 percent were recommended for screening by law enforcement officers. Meanwhile, 63 percent of those screened survivors were found to be in high danger of death at home based on their assessment.
CPR News' reporting on state intervention in domestic violence cases shows that part of the reason people slip through the cracks has been a lack of action by local police and sheriff’s agencies.
In 2025, the attorney general’s office will begin a new program funded with grant dollars to train officers and educate professionals on using the lethality assessment tool and extreme risk protection orders, also known as red flag laws, which aim to keep guns out of the hands of people deemed a risk to themselves or others.
“For many, domestic violence is a topic that isn't often talked about and that people aren't prepared to deal with,” said Attorney General Phil Weiser. “We need to change that, and our emphasis on law enforcement training is going to save lives.”
El Paso County also saw a reduction in deaths from domestic violence from 2022 to 2023, falling by 60 percent from 20 to eight. Colorado 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen said he’s not sure what’s behind the improvement, but agreed the change marks a return to pre-pandemic levels.
Allen’s district implemented its own Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board earlier this month with a grant from the Colorado Department of Law through TESSA, an organization supporting abuse victims and survivors in El Paso and Teller counties.
“I think [it] is going to actually help us develop a better assessment tool, looking at ‘When are relationships at the highest risk of lethality?’ [and] ‘What interventions can we potentially put in place at particular stages of a domestic violence continuum to really have an effect?” he said.
The $44,263 grant is part of a larger effort from the AG’s office to provide funding to programs addressing prevention, victim advocacy and crisis interventions. TESSA specifically offers safe houses for people escaping domestic violence and access to support services.
“For domestic violence survivors, the most lethal period of that relationship is when they've got the courage and the will to leave the abuser,” Allen said. “That's when we see the highest level of lethality, and it's when people need to be on the most high alert.”
Allen also just created a new position in his office this year: a dedicated Domestic Violence prosecutor. With that new position and perspective from the review board, he’s hopeful they’ll see a continued decrease in fatality rates.
“I’m really anxious to see if we can start to pin a number on this being successful,” he said.
Fifteen of Colorado’s 64 counties had at least one domestic violence-related fatality in 2023, with the highest number in Arapahoe County where 14 people died — the same number as 2022. District Attorney John Kellner declined CPR News’ request for an interview.
In general, rural counties have higher rates of domestic violence fatalities. Dolores County, for example, has a rate of 39.8 fatalities per 100,000 people, the highest in the state.
DA Mason says something statistically proven to help communities nationwide is the creation of a family justice center.
“A family justice center is a one stop shop where victims and survivors of domestic violence can get all of the services that they need in one place,” Mason said. “Our research shows that a standard victim or survivor of domestic violence has to travel hundreds of miles and countless hours to get the services that she or he may need.”
There are an estimated 150 family justice centers nationwide, including two, one in Denver and one in Lakewood. Soon, Mason says there will be one more, serving people in Adams and Broomfield counties.
“I'm very happy to see our domestic violence homicide rate go down as much as it already has, but five domestic homicides are still too many,” he said. “I think a family justice center will help us improve these numbers even further.” A temporary family justice center location is in the works now, but more funding is needed for it and to continue the work of the Domestic Violence High Risk Team. The High Risk Team was created with a $2 million federal appropriation secured by Representatives Ed Perlmutter, Joe Neguse, and Jason Crow in 2022. “That money's going to run out next year. So we're hoping to get that grant renewed,” Mason said.
His concerns over funding are echoed by law enforcement agencies and advocates across the state.
“Individual DA's offices really rely on both state and federal funding to provide funding for victims,” said DA Allen. “We've seen a shortfall in federal funding .… And then as far as the state goes, the state budget is not in a great position right now. They're really struggling to collect enough money and put it in the right places. So I'm hopeful that we can get some movement there as well, but that's going to be a tough uphill fight.”
