Vallejo police roll out lethality‑assessment plan and resource card; advocates and a survivor urge local access and coordination

Vallejo Police presented an "enhanced response" to domestic violence that pairs a lethality‑assessment protocol with upgraded referral pathways and a new resource card, while local advocates and a survivor urged better local capacity and faster response times.

Lieutenant Josh Catham, who leads investigations, said the department has piloted a lethality assessment — about 10 questions used to gauge danger — so that patrol officers can, when indicated, place victims on the phone with an advocate immediately instead of days later. "Part of implementing that is a 2‑day training for a select number of people to then bring it back to the Police Department to train the entire staff," Catham said.

Catham described other steps: advanced officer training already delivered in January and February, a nearly finalized domestic‑violence resource pamphlet, and plans for a QR code to give victims easy access to resources at apartment complexes and community hubs. He said the department is working with the Family Justice Center and local advocates to include multiple providers on the card.

Tanya Roundrig, founder and executive director of VEST, asked which local providers were included and expressed concern that referrals to a Family Justice Center in Fairfield or to SafeQuest (the 24‑hour line) can impose travel burdens for Vallejo residents. "We have 4 advocates here in Vallejo," Roundrig said, and noted VEST operates local support groups, therapy and emergency housing assistance; she urged VPD to coordinate directly with VEST so victims need not travel out of county for help.

Catham said VPD currently calls SafeQuest because it is the available 24‑hour line, but that his written proposal — still under review — includes local partners such as VEST. He also said SafeQuest, Family Justice Center and VEST already exchange referrals in practice and that the revised pamphlet and QR code will provide multiple contact paths.

A survivor, Marissa Serfino, described a January incident she said involved a delayed response and difficulty accessing local services. "I sat out there for 2 hours and then I just ended up walking to a friend's house," Serfino said. She said she had to find transportation to Fairfield and navigate follow‑up on her own, and urged the department to improve response time and empathy for victims. VPD apologized for her experience and said the department is in a "learning phase" as it rolls out new procedures.

Council members asked how VPD will maintain long‑term partnerships with advocacy organizations once officers are trained and the department begins a train‑the‑trainer model. Catham said he is the department liaison with partners and suggested annual or biannual advanced‑officer trainings to preserve relationships and maintain quality. Council members said they want to see accountability measures, periodic advanced training and metrics showing how often referrals result in services and how victims move through care pathways.

VPD said some operational details will remain confidential to protect victims, but staff and council pledged to provide high‑level statistics to the public and to involve local providers in finalizing referral procedures. The department said it will upload the revised pamphlet to its website when completed and continue outreach to apartment complexes and community sites.