Preventing Domestic Violence Homicide.
One Community at a Time.
Wisconsin LAP 2.0 connects first responders and advocates with survivors at the highest risk of being killed, before it is too late.
Trained Counties: July 2026
Wisconsin LAP 2.0 has trained advocates and law enforcement personnel in 42 of Wisconsin's 72 counties, plus the Oneida Nation and Ho-Chunk Nation. Hover over any county to see its name and training status. Inclusion on this map indicates that since 2024, at least one agency in that county has participated in training. It does not indicate that every law enforcement agency in the county participates, or that the program is fully implemented countywide. A domestic violence service provider may partner with all or just a portion of law enforcement agencies in their service area, and it is common to start with one agency and grow the program regionally.
July 2026 training data. County inclusion indicates at least one agency trained, not full countywide implementation. Also includes the Oneida Nation and Ho-Chunk Nation.
Evidence-Based
Developed by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence in partnership with Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell of Johns Hopkins University. The 11-question Lethality Screen has been validated to identify survivors at the highest risk of homicide. Maryland saw a significant drop in domestic violence-related deaths following implementation.
Train-the-Trainer
We train your community's domestic violence advocates, law enforcement officers, and allied professionals to build lasting local capacity. A certified community does not rely on outside trainers for every new hire. Your community owns this work and can sustain it over time.
No Cost to Participants
Training and technical assistance are provided at no cost through a grant from the Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention. Use of the database is covered through the annual statewide subscription, at no cost to the agencies implementing it. Communities across the state can implement the LAP without financial barriers.
What Is the Lethality Assessment Program?
The Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) is an evidence-based strategy developed by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence to prevent intimate partner violence homicides and serious injuries. At its core is an 11-question Lethality Screen administered by law enforcement officers at the scene of a domestic violence call. When a survivor's responses indicate high-danger, the officer offers the survivor the opportunity to speak with an on-call domestic violence advocate. Whether or not the survivor initially accepts, the officer still calls the local domestic violence hotline. The survivor is offered again to speak directly with the advocate, with assurance that all services are free, confidential, and that they may remain anonymous while still receiving safety planning and resources.
No single tool reaches every survivor. The LAP is specifically designed to identify those at the highest risk of being killed and connect them with domestic violence services before further harm occurs. It is voluntary for service providers, law enforcement partners, and the survivors they serve. There is room in this field for more than one approach, and the LAP complements rather than replaces existing advocacy and safety planning practices.
Wisconsin LAP 2.0 is coordinated statewide by Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc., in partnership with MNADV and Forseti, and is the only Wisconsin agency currently operating this evidence-based best practice under a formal Memorandum of Understanding.
Learn More About the Program →Ready to Bring LAP 2.0 to Your Community?
Training and technical assistance are available at no cost to domestic violence agencies, law enforcement partners, healthcare providers, and social workers across Wisconsin.
Request Training →About LAP 2.0
Understanding the Lethality Assessment Program: who it serves, how it works, and why it matters in Wisconsin
The Program and Its Origins
The Lethality Assessment Program was created by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence (MNADV) in 2005, building on the Danger Assessment developed by Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell of Johns Hopkins University. The program was designed to address a critical gap in the domestic violence response: for 28 to 33 percent of victims, the homicidal incident was the first physical act of violence. Standard referral systems were not reaching survivors at the highest risk. Following LAP implementation in Maryland, the state saw a significant reduction in domestic violence-related deaths. The program has since expanded to more than 1,000 agencies in 39 states.
LAP 2.0 is the current evolution of the program, approved by the OVW Technical Assistance Program to provide training and technical assistance to communities nationally. It strengthens the original model with updated protocols that reflect new research on strangulation as a lethality indicator, the Forseti digital platform for real-time documentation and coordination, and a train-the-trainer structure that builds lasting local capacity.
Wisconsin LAP 2.0 coordination is led by Courtney Olson, Executive Director, and Jessica Honish, Lead Advocate, of Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc. Joining the coordination team as our newest member is Natalie Hayden, Milwaukee Representative, who brings deep roots in Milwaukee's domestic violence response community. Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc. is currently the only Wisconsin agency coordinating the Lethality Assessment Program 2.0 statewide under a formal Memorandum of Understanding with MNADV and their database partner, Forseti.
Contact the Coordination Team →Why LAP 2.0? Strangulation and Lethal Risk
The original Lethality Assessment Program was introduced in 2005 as a groundbreaking tool for identifying survivors at the highest risk of homicide. LAP 2.0 reflects a significant evolution in the research on what makes intimate partner violence lethal. The most important update is the elevated role of strangulation as a specific and powerful indicator of homicide risk.
Research has established a strong correlation between non-fatal strangulation by an intimate partner and subsequent domestic violence homicide. A survivor who has been strangled faces dramatically elevated risk of being killed. In LAP 2.0, strangulation is one of three questions that automatically triggers the protocol at the highest level of risk, regardless of how a survivor answers the remaining questions. This means more survivors facing the most acute danger are identified and connected with services immediately, even when other risk factors may not appear severe.
How the LAP Works
Screen
A law enforcement officer responds to a domestic violence call and administers the 11-question Lethality Screen verbatim. If the survivor's responses indicate high-danger, or if the circumstances of the call indicate high-risk regardless of the score, the officer proceeds immediately to the next step. The questions must be asked verbatim for the assessment to qualify as evidence-based practice.
Connect
The officer offers the survivor the opportunity to speak with an on-call domestic violence advocate. Participation is the survivor's choice, and their decision is respected. If the survivor declines, the officer still calls the local domestic violence agency's hotline. The advocate then provides basic safety planning and resources, and the survivor is offered again to speak directly with the advocate. They are assured that all information is free and confidential, and that they may remain anonymous while still receiving safety planning information and referrals to services. Research shows that survivors reached at this moment are significantly more likely to connect with domestic violence services.
Follow Up
The domestic violence agency follows up with the survivor, providing safety planning, advocacy, and ongoing support. All screens and contacts are documented in the Forseti database, supporting coordination and continuity of care across agencies.
Who Can Use the LAP
Law Enforcement
Officers and agency leadership from local, county, tribal, and state law enforcement agencies. Officers administer the Lethality Screen at the scene of a domestic violence call and initiate the warm transfer to the on-call domestic violence advocate when a high-risk screen occurs.
Domestic Violence Advocates
Staff at domestic violence agencies provide on-call coverage to receive calls from law enforcement partners. The officer calls the hotline regardless of whether the survivor initially agrees to speak with an advocate. The advocate provides basic safety planning and resources, and offers the survivor the opportunity to speak directly with them. Survivors are assured that all information is free, confidential, and that they may remain anonymous while still receiving safety planning and referrals. Advocates are the essential second step in every high-danger LAP referral.
Allied Professionals
Healthcare providers, social workers, and other allied professionals represent an emerging pathway for LAP implementation. As described by MNADV, this pathway is designed for survivors who prefer not to involve law enforcement. Allied professionals can use the Lethality Screen as a referral tool to connect individuals at high-risk with domestic violence services. Wisconsin LAP 2.0 is actively developing this pathway statewide.
The Forseti Database
Forseti is the technology partner for Wisconsin LAP 2.0. Forseti digitizes the lethality assessment process, enabling law enforcement and domestic violence agencies to document screens and coordinate referrals in real time. The platform supports communication across agencies and ensures no survivor contact falls through the cracks.
Use of the database is covered through the annual statewide subscription, at no cost to the agencies implementing it.
Learn More About Forseti →Why the LAP?
The evidence for the Lethality Assessment Program as Wisconsin's primary domestic violence homicide prevention strategy
The Gap the LAP Was Designed to Close
The case for the Lethality Assessment Program begins with two statistics from Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell's landmark 11-city femicide study, which examined the circumstances of intimate partner homicides across the country. Together, they define the problem the LAP was built to solve.
An Intervention, Not Just an Assessment
Several validated risk assessment instruments exist for identifying intimate partner violence cases at elevated risk of homicide. What sets the LAP apart is that it combines an evidence-based screening tool with a built-in protocol for immediate action. When the screen identifies a high-danger result, the officer calls the local domestic violence agency's crisis line from the scene, with the survivor present, and the advocate speaks with the survivor directly.
Other tools, including the Danger Assessment developed by Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell, which forms the empirical foundation of the LAP screen, are excellent instruments for deep safety planning when a trained advocate can work with a survivor over time. But they do not include a built-in mechanism for connecting a survivor to services during a police call, before the officer leaves the scene. The LAP does. It converts law enforcement contact from a report into a referral.
What the Research Shows
The foundational evaluation of the LAP, published in Social Service Review in 2015 by Messing, Campbell, Webster, and colleagues, compared survivors who received the full LAP protocol with those who did not. Survivors who received the intervention were nearly twice as likely to receive immediate services and medical care, 2.5 times more likely to remove or hide their abuser's weapons, and 1.5 times more likely to take protective actions overall. LAP receipt is also associated with reduced severity and frequency of subsequent intimate partner violence and increased use of protection orders.
At the population level, Maryland saw a 32 to 34 percent reduction in intimate partner homicides in the years following statewide LAP implementation. The U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women has identified the LAP as a promising practice in intimate partner homicide prevention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified it as a supported intervention.
Sources
Campbell, J.C., Webster, D.W., Koziol-McLain, J., et al. (2003). Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships: Results From a Multisite Case Control Study. American Journal of Public Health, 93(7).
Messing, J.T., Campbell, J., Webster, D.W., Brown, S., Patchell, B., and Wilson, J.S. (2015). The Oklahoma Lethality Assessment Study: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of the Lethality Assessment Program. Social Service Review, 89(3).
Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence. (2022). Effectiveness of the Lethality Assessment Program (Position Paper).
Resources & Forms
Forms, training materials, and resources for LAP 2.0 implementation in Wisconsin
The Lethality Screen
The Lethality Screen is the evidence-based, 11-question tool at the heart of the LAP. The same screening instrument is used by law enforcement in the field and by domestic violence advocates in crisis line and walk-in settings. The questions are asked verbatim in all settings. The form and accompanying protocol are provided to participants during Wisconsin LAP 2.0 train-the-trainer certification and are also available directly through MNADV.
Through Forseti, agencies can customize their LAP form at no cost to fit local community needs, such as ensuring compliance with Marsy's Law or other jurisdiction-specific requirements. The one element that cannot be changed is the original 11 questions, including their order, as the order is integral to how risk is determined.
Lethality Screen
The 11-question evidence-based screening tool used across all LAP settings. When a survivor's responses indicate high-danger, or when the circumstances of the call indicate high-risk regardless of the score, the responder initiates an immediate warm transfer to a domestic violence advocate. All questions must be administered verbatim, and their order cannot be altered.
Access via MNADV →LAP Effectiveness Research
MNADV has published a position paper reviewing the evidence base for the LAP, including outcome data from Maryland and other states. Based on Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell's Danger Assessment research at Johns Hopkins University, the LAP has been validated as an empirically sound approach to identifying survivors at the highest risk of homicide.
Read the Position Paper →Online Training: The Karta Module
Following completion of Wisconsin LAP 2.0 train-the-trainer certification, participants receive access to MNADV's Karta online learning platform. Karta provides supplemental instruction and reference materials for certified LAP trainers, covering the evidence base, protocol, and best practices for working with survivors at the highest risk of homicide.
Karta access is not available to the general public and is not available prior to completing in-person train-the-trainer certification. Registration information and login credentials are provided by the Wisconsin LAP 2.0 coordination team upon completion of certification. For questions about enrollment, contact MNADV Technical Assistance and LAP Coordinator Angel Campbell at acampbell@mnadv.org or (301) 852-3669.
Request Training →Getting Started in Wisconsin: The Implementation Process
Implementing LAP 2.0 in Wisconsin involves a structured process coordinated through MNADV, the Wisconsin LAP 2.0 coordination team, and Forseti. The steps below outline what communities can expect from initial interest through active implementation.
MNADV Implementation Steps
MOU
Complete and submit a Memorandum of Understanding signed by MNADV, the domestic violence service provider, and all law enforcement and other LAP partners. Contact the Wisconsin LAP 2.0 coordination team to begin this process.
Application
Submit the MNADV LAP 2.0 application and receive approval. The Wisconsin coordination team can guide you through this step and serve as your primary point of contact with MNADV.
Subscription
Use of the database is covered through the annual statewide subscription, at no cost to the agencies implementing it. No separate payment is required from your agency.
Policymaker's Meeting
Hold a policymaker's meeting to align agency leadership, establish expectations, and confirm commitment from all participating organizations before training begins.
Train-the-Trainer
Attend a Wisconsin LAP 2.0 train-the-trainer certification. See the Training page for upcoming dates or to request training in your community.
In-Service Training
Complete in-service training for all domestic violence service provider staff, law enforcement partners, and any other LAP participants in your jurisdiction, using your newly certified trainers.
Forseti Database Onboarding
After completing the MNADV steps, notify the Wisconsin LAP 2.0 coordination team of your agency's interest in installing the Forseti database. Submit the following documents to Forseti at admin@forseti.io:
Required Documents
Each participating agency must submit: a signed End User License Agreement (EULA); a completed Database Setup Sheet; and your agency's customized copy of the LAP 2.0 form. Forseti will configure the database interface to match your agency's form. Remember: the 11 questions and their order cannot be changed.
Mandatory Training and IT Review
Complete the Conducting DV Assessment Web Portal training video (approximately 8 minutes), available on the Forseti Instructional Videos tab. A SOC 2 Type II IT Review Document is also required. Contact Courtney Olson to request a copy of this report.
Forseti contacts: Walter Lautz, Walter@Forseti.io, (310) 801-2079; Warren Lautz, Warren@Forseti.io, (480) 490-4215.
Resources
Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence (MNADV)
The national home of the Lethality Assessment Program. MNADV provides comprehensive resources for LAP implementers, including the Lethality Screen, research, implementation guidance, and direct technical assistance. Wisconsin LAP 2.0 operates under an MOU with MNADV.
Lethality Assessment Program at MNADV →Forseti: The LAP Database
Forseti digitizes the LAP process for Wisconsin implementing agencies, enabling real-time documentation and cross-agency coordination. Use of the database is covered through the annual statewide subscription, at no cost to the agencies implementing it. Contact the coordination team to be connected with Forseti for onboarding and technical support.
Forseti LAP Platform →DV RISC Technical Assistance Portal
The Domestic Violence Resource for Increasing Safety and Connection (DV RISC), led by the Center for Justice Innovation, Esperanza United, and Ujima Inc., provides federally funded technical assistance on intimate partner violence risk and lethality assessments, including the LAP.
DV RISC Portal →Marsy's Law Wisconsin
Marsy's Law provides constitutional rights to crime victims in Wisconsin, including the right to be treated with dignity and respect, to be notified of rights as a victim, and to be present and heard during criminal justice proceedings. Understanding Marsy's Law is important for agencies customizing their LAP form and protocol to ensure compliance.
wi.marsyslaw.us →Wisconsin Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative
Training and resources for communities establishing domestic violence fatality review teams under 2025 Wisconsin Act 148. The Wisconsin LAP 2.0 coordination team also leads this initiative.
widvfatalityreview.com →Training
Building Wisconsin's capacity to identify and respond to survivors at the highest risk of homicide
The Train-the-Trainer Model
Wisconsin LAP 2.0 uses a train-the-trainer model. Rather than relying on outside trainers for every future hire or new agency, we train local champions who are then certified to train others in their community. This approach builds lasting capacity and ensures training is grounded in local context, relationships, and community culture.
A trained LAP community typically includes at least one domestic violence service provider and one law enforcement agency from the same jurisdiction, both of whom have completed the full certification and are then equipped to train additional advocates, officers, and allied professionals going forward. Following certification, participants receive access to MNADV's Karta online learning platform for supplemental materials and ongoing reference.
Participation is flexible. Not every law enforcement agency in a jurisdiction is required to participate for a community to implement the LAP. A domestic violence service provider may choose to partner with all, or just a portion, of law enforcement agencies in their service area. Many communities begin with a single agency partner and expand the program regionally as relationships and capacity develop over time. There is no minimum jurisdiction size, and no community is too small to start.
Training is provided at no cost to participants, supported by a grant from the Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention awarded to Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc. Use of the database is covered through the annual statewide subscription, at no cost to the agencies implementing it.
Who Should Attend
Law Enforcement
Officers and agency leadership from local, county, tribal, and state law enforcement. Officers administer the Lethality Screen in the field and initiate the warm transfer to the on-call domestic violence advocate when a high-risk screen occurs. Law enforcement partnership is the most common and effective model for LAP implementation.
Domestic Violence Advocates
Staff at domestic violence agencies provide on-call coverage to receive calls from law enforcement partners. The officer calls the hotline regardless of whether the survivor initially agrees to speak with an advocate. The advocate provides basic safety planning and resources, and offers the survivor the opportunity to speak directly with them. Survivors are assured that all information is free, confidential, and that they may remain anonymous while still receiving safety planning and referrals. Advocates are the essential second step in every high-danger LAP referral.
Allied Professionals
Healthcare providers, social workers, and other allied professionals interested in using the Lethality Screen as a referral tool for survivors who prefer not to involve law enforcement. This is an emerging area of LAP 2.0 expansion. Contact us to discuss implementation options for your setting.
2026 Wisconsin Training Calendar
Both September sessions are LAP 2.0 train-the-trainer certifications. Register using the links below. Additional dates will be announced as they are confirmed. To bring training to your community on a different date or in a different location, use the request form below.
Ashland — LAP 2.0 Train the Trainer
Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, 29270 County Highway G, Ashland, WI 54806
Hosted by New Day Advocacy
10:00 am – 3:00 pm · lunch on your own, noon–1:00 pm · snacks and beverages provided
Sheboygan — LAP 2.0 Train the Trainer
Location change: this training has moved from Milwaukee to Sheboygan. The date and time are unchanged.
Jake’s, A Lakeland Community, Large Conference Room (lower level, no elevator), 529 Ontario Avenue, Sheboygan, WI 53081
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Viroqua — Investigating Strangulation
Vernon County Sheriff’s Department, Viroqua, WI
A full-day multidisciplinary training on the dynamics, medical evidence, investigation, and prosecution of strangulation, with a forensic nurse, a retired detective sergeant, and an assistant attorney general. This is not a LAP 2.0 train-the-trainer session.
10:00 am – 5:00 pm · working lunch
Save the date. Registration is handled by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Watch the DOJ training calendar for details as they are posted.
Statewide, Online
Virtual LAP 2.0 session, including a one-hour refresher for officers already trained
Date to be announced. Contact Courtney@therainbowhouse.us to be notified.
Related Training: Strangulation and Lethality
Understanding strangulation as a lethality indicator is central to LAP 2.0. Rainbow House partners with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and a multidisciplinary faculty of advocacy, forensic nursing, investigative, and prosecution experts to deliver specialty training on strangulation, lethality, and homicide prevention for law enforcement, medical providers, advocates, and prosecutors.
Investigating Strangulation
Monday, October 5, 2026 · 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Vernon County Sheriff’s Department, Viroqua, Wisconsin
A full-day, multidisciplinary training covering the dynamics of coercive control in strangulation cases, the medical and physiological effects of strangulation, investigation and interview technique, and Wisconsin law, lethality, and case application.
Agenda
- 10:00 – 11:15 Dynamics in Interpersonal Cases of Strangulation: Control and Coercion — Courtney Olson
- 11:15 – 12:30 Medical and Physiological Aspects of Strangulation, Part 1 — Deanna Grundl, RN
- 12:30 – 12:45 Break and start of working lunch
- 12:45 – 2:00 Medical and Physiological Aspects of Strangulation, Part 2 — Deanna Grundl, RN
- 2:00 – 2:15 Break
- 2:15 – 3:30 Investigations and Interviews — Det. Sgt. (Ret.) Julie Johnson
- 3:30 – 3:45 Break
- 3:45 – 5:00 The Law, Lethality, and Case Application — AAG Miriam Falk
Presenters
- Courtney Olson, Executive Director, Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services; Wisconsin LAP 2.0 Statewide Co-Coordinator
- Deanna Grundl, RN, Forensic Nursing Manager, Aurora Health Care
- Det. Sgt. (Ret.) Julie Johnson
- Miriam Falk, J.D., Assistant Attorney General, Wisconsin Department of Justice Training and Standards Bureau; State Resource Prosecutor for sexual assault and domestic violence
Save the date. This is a related opportunity rather than a LAP 2.0 train-the-trainer certification. Registration is handled by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Watch the Wisconsin DOJ training calendar for registration details as they are posted.
Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention (National) →Request Training for Your Community
To invite the Wisconsin LAP 2.0 coordination team to provide training in your community, please complete the form below. We will follow up to discuss scheduling, logistics, and participants. Training is available to communities across Wisconsin and is designed for domestic violence programs and their law enforcement partners.
Contact
Get in touch with the Wisconsin LAP 2.0 coordination team
The Coordination Team
The Wisconsin LAP 2.0 coordination team provides training, technical assistance, and resources for communities interested in implementing or expanding the Lethality Assessment Program. For questions about the LAP, upcoming training, implementation logistics, or the Forseti database, please reach out to any member of the team.
Courtney Olson
Executive Director
Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc.
Wisconsin LAP 2.0 Statewide Co-Coordinator
Courtney@therainbowhouse.us (715) 735-6656
Jessica Honish
Lead Advocate
Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc.
Wisconsin LAP 2.0 Statewide Co-Coordinator
Jessica@therainbowhouse.us (906) 290-9046
Natalie Hayden
Milwaukee Representative
Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc.
Former Vice Chairwoman, Milwaukee Commission on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (2018-2022)
Natalie@therainbowhouse.us (414) 436-9794How We Can Help
Is LAP 2.0 Right for My Community?
We can walk you through how the LAP works, what a successful implementation looks like, what partnership between a domestic violence agency and law enforcement involves, and whether your community is ready to move forward. No commitment is required to have this conversation.
Scheduling Training
We can schedule a train-the-trainer certification for your community, tailored to your attendees: law enforcement, domestic violence advocates, healthcare providers, social workers, or a multi-agency mix. Training is provided at no cost to participants.
Database and Implementation Support
We can connect your agency with Forseti for database onboarding, help you develop your Memorandum of Understanding between your domestic violence agency and law enforcement partner, and provide technical assistance throughout the implementation process.
Funding
Wisconsin LAP 2.0 coordination is supported through the Office of Violence Prevention, Division of Enterprise Operations, Wisconsin Department of Administration. This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP0135 awarded to Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc. via the Wisconsin Department of Administration by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Training and technical assistance are provided at no cost to participants.