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Grand Rapids to roll out DALE lethality screening, survivor‑center and high‑risk review team
Summary
Victim services manager Clarissa Novak outlined a grant‑funded program that will use the DALE (Danger Assessment for Law Enforcement) screening tool, launch survivor listening sessions, and convene a multidisciplinary high‑risk team in spring 2026 to coordinate services for people at high risk of lethal intimate‑partner violence.
Clarissa Novak, the city’s victim services manager, told the Public Safety Committee that Grand Rapids will implement an 11‑question lethality assessment for officers and expand victim advocacy through grant‑funded partnerships.
Novak said the city selected the DALE (Danger Assessment for Law Enforcement), an 11‑question screening tool, to be administered by officers on scene when they encounter a survivor of intimate‑partner violence. “So it is going to be done by officers on scene when they encounter a survivor victim of intimate partner violence,” she said. If a survivor’s score exceeds the threshold, Novak said the response includes an immediate connection to victim services and safety planning via a central line staffed by Safe Haven Ministries.
The program is funded through a grant Novak said the city received last year; Safe Haven Ministries and the YWCA are sub‑awardees who will provide grant‑funded advocates. Novak said the Geiger Institute will support data collection and evaluation. “Full implementation of the DALE will be December 1,” Novak said, and she said a multidisciplinary high‑risk team — including prosecution, corrections and law enforcement — will launch in spring 2026.
Novak described several operational elements: training for GRPD and partner agencies on the DALE tool, immediate phone‑based safety planning for high‑risk survivors, and an effort to provide a “warm handoff” so survivors meet an advocate before leaving the scene. The city will host two survivor listening sessions; Novak said the first is scheduled for Oct. 16 and will be limited to survivors of intimate‑partner violence.
Committee members asked about inclusivity and access. Commissioner Kilgore asked whether the DALE training covers LGBTQIA+ communities; Novak said the training will provide guidance for use with different populations and noted the tool is available in multiple languages. Novak confirmed that partner agencies will serve people of all genders and that the program intends to be accessible to people with children and with disabilities.
Novak also described ancillary services: a victim response team that rides with patrol, plans for a therapy dog for survivors, and ongoing community outreach such as Victims’ Rights Week in April.
The committee praised the effort and urged continued outreach to community partners. Novak said the city will collect evaluation data with the Geiger Institute and refine rolling implementation based on feedback from survivors and partners.
