Florida Police Must Undergo New Domestic Violence Training Due To Law Signed By DeSantis

Photo byRon DeSantis Facebook photo

Senate Bill 1224: Protection of Children and Victims of Crime amends a variety of preexisting statutes. In particular, it requires law enforcement officers to administer a new lethality assessment when investigating alleged domestic violence incidents made against an intimate partner regardless of whether an arrest is made.

To enact this training, the Department of Law Enforcement must consult with a minimum of two domestic violence advocacy organizations, the Florida Police Chiefs Association, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Florida Sheriffs Association, and the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence.

Together, these organizations will work to create the essential training, policies, and procedures for the “implementation of a statewide evidence-based lethality assessment”. Once approved, the training and assessment will need to be made available in an “online format”, increasing accessibility.

Once formed, the DCF will need to present the questions used in the lethality assessment to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The DFC will also need to recommend whether these questions should be included in a statewide lethality assessment.

Additionally, the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission will be required “by rule that all law enforcement receive instruction on the policies and procedures for administering a lethality assessment and minimum training requirements”.

By November 1, 2026, the head of each law enforcement agency must provide a written certification to verify that each agency has met the new training requirements. By January 1, 2027, a report regarding each agency’s compliance must be provided to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Governor.

As a result of the new training, law enforcement officers responding to incidents of domestic violence between intimate partners must conduct the lethality assessment and advise the victim on the assessment’s results. If the victim’s responses meet the requirements or if the victim is unable to provide sufficient information to complete the assessment, then the officers must refer the victim to the “nearest locally certified domestic violence center”.

Whether or not the assessment is completed, a note of the assessment must be made in the police report. If the lethality assessment is completed, then the score must be documented in the report.

In addition, Senate Bill 1224 functions to broaden the Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office’s role, and operations, and to specify its duties, and responsibilities. The Guardians Ad Litem’s (GAL) duties and responsibilities will also be specified.

This bill was prepared by the Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee, filed on January 3, 2024, and unanimously voted through by the Senate and House with votes of 40-0 and 112-0, respectively. Governor DeSantis then approved the bill on April 10. This new law is effective as of July 1, 2024, and all of the changes it requirements must be met by January 1, 2027.

For complete details on this new law, click here to read the full 113 pages of Senate Bill 1224. For the official summary of the bill, click here.
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Article by Ema Tibbetts