Tennessee law enforcement agencies now have a new resource to help combat domestic violence and connect victims with community-based domestic violence service programs.The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) announces the hiring of 22-year veteran officer Teddy Murphy as a new fulltime instructor at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy (TLETA) where he will teach the Lethality Assessment Program – Maryland Model (LAP).
Originally designed for use by law enforcement, Lethality Assessment Program – Maryland Model gives officers and other first responders a model for effective domestic violence assessment in order to better understand domestic violence calls and prevent escalating violence that can lead to homicides. Murphy will teach the program to every basic Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy police recruit class in addition to conducting sessions with veteran officers at departments across the state.
According to Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak, “The Governor’s Task Force on Sentencing and Recidivism first outlined the need for a better way to assist Tennessee law enforcement in the assessment of domestic violence situations and help protect victims. While the LAP program is currently used by some departments, this new TLETA instructor position will ensure that future all Tennessee law enforcement officers receive training in its valuable domestic violence assessment methods.”
