Domestic Violence Database Bill sponsored by Senator Weiler of Utah and Lt. gov. Henderson advances from the committee

The bill would create a police database of domestic violence incidents and assign police officers to assess the safety of victims.

It’s not every day that an incumbent Lieutenant Governor testifies in support of the legislation, but for Deidre Henderson, Lt. gov. from Utah, personally.

Sitting next to her aunt and uncle, Henderson voiced her support for a Utah Senate bill that would create a police database of domestic violence incidents and require police officers to ask survivors of domestic violence a series of questions.

“We’re trying to target and reduce and eliminate intimate partner murder,” Henderson said. “That’s what we’re trying to do with this bill.”

That bill, SB 117, passed unanimously Tuesday during a hearing in the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee. The bill will now go to the Utah Senate for consideration.

Henderson has a personal connection to the bill. Last August, her cousin Mandy Mayne was shot and killed by her ex while waiting at a Taylorsville bus stop.

Kent and Shauna Mayne, Mandy’s parents, supported the bill on Tuesday, which is sponsored by Senator Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross. Weiler’s bill was prepared for months.

SB117 would create a database for police of past incidents of domestic violence and calls to the police, even when the calls did not result in criminal charges.

The law also requires police to ask survivors a series of questions called the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) to determine their potential danger. If someone is deemed to be in danger, police would refer them to potentially life-saving resources, including temporary shelter, counseling and other options. The LAP questionnaire is already in use in Utah, Weiler said Tuesday, with about half of the state’s police departments already using the tool.

The Maynes addressed the committee during Tuesday’s hearing, both seated next to Henderson. Kent Mayne told the committee his daughter’s killer, Taylor Martin, threatened Mayne and her boyfriend at their workplace just days before the murder. Police were called to the workplace and Martin was not arrested, Kent Mayne told the committee.

Martin was already a convicted felon, but was able to buy a gun from Mandy Mayne’s workplace shortly after the incident. He shot and killed her days later.

“We strongly support the bill before you that will require lethality assessments,” Kent Mayne told the committee.

He added that the police were not conducting a lethality assessment when the police were called to his daughter’s workplace.

“We don’t know if the lethality assessment would have saved Mandy,” Kent Mayne said, “but it was certainly a missed opportunity for another procedure that might have saved her and given her the resources she needed to get her going.” bring to stay safe.”

In addition to the Maynes and Henderson, several members of law enforcement spoke out in favor of the bill during the hearing.

Utah State Assemblyman Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, was among the officers who praised the LAP. Clancy, a Provo officer recently appointed to the Utah House, said he used the LAP questions while on the job and said the LAP form helps prevent victims from slipping through the cracks.

“The LAP form is powerful,” Clancy said. “It’s effective. It’s a proven tool and it’s going to be a really great thing for victims across the state.”

Among those seated in the committee hearing room was Jess Anderson, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety. He expressed his support for the bill to The Tribune last month.

As of Tuesday, it was not immediately clear when the Senate could vote on the bill.

Editor’s note • Those who experience intimate partner violence, or know someone who has, are urged to contact the Utah Domestic Violence Link Line, 1-800-897-LINK (5465), or the Utah Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis Line, 1 -888 to call -421-1100.

If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, call or text 988 to reach them Suicide & Crisis Lifelines 24 hour support.