Florida domestic violence bill 'Gabby Petito Act' filed for 2024. What to know about SB 610
Two Florida legislators filed a bill Nov. 29 to strengthen domestic violence prevention efforts.
The bill was filed in response to the death of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old travel vlogger killed by her fiancé while on a cross-country road trip in 2021. Her disappearance fueled intense interest across the nation and spurred a search for her missing fiance.
Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book, D-Davie, and Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston, filed the "Gabby Petito Act" after the initiative was brought forward by Gabby's father, Joseph Petito, of Vero Beach.
The bill mandates law-enforcement officers conduct lethality assessments on survivors and enhances collaborations between advocates and law-enforcement agencies in Florida, according to a news release.
Who was Gabby Petito?
Gabby Petito had been on a cross-country trip with Brian Laundrie when she was reported missing by her family on Sept. 11, 2021. Her body was found near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on Sept. 19, 2021. Her death was ruled a homicide due to strangulation.
Laundrie was the lone person of interest in the investigation into Gabby Petito's death after he returned home without contacting her family. He later disappeared into a nature reserve in Florida, and his body was found on Oct. 20, 2021, after he died by suicide.
Summary of SB 610 and HB 673, Gabby Petito Act for domestic violence investigations
Senate bill 610, and the identical House bill 673 filed by Bartleman, would:
Require law-enforcement officers to complete a lethality assessment form when investigating alleged incidents of domestic violence.
Require the department to consult with specified entities on the policies, procedures, and training necessary to implement the use of the form.
Prohibit law-enforcement officers from using the form if they have not received certain training.
What else does SB 610 do?
The Senate bill requires a law-enforcement officer responding to a report of domestic violence make a written report, whether or not an arrest is made.
The report should clearly indicate the alleged offense was an incident of domestic violence. The report must be given to the officer's supervisor and filed so date on domestic violence cases can be compiled.
The report must also include a description of all physical injuries observed.
A copy of legal rights and remedies must be given to the victim and that should be noted in the report.
Whenever possible, the law-enforcement officer shall obtain a written statement from the victim and witnesses concerning the alleged domestic violence.
The initial police report should be sent to the nearest locally certified domestic violence center within 24 hours after the agency receives the report. The report sent must include a narrative description of the domestic violence incident.
Whenever a law-enforcement officer investigates a report of domestic violence, the officer must complete an assessment form to evaluate the likelihood of serious injury or death.
Every law-enforcement officer who regularly responds or investigates crimes of domestic violence must be trained on the policies and procedures for completing the form.
When would the Gabby Petito Act go into effect?
If passed by the Legislature during its session in early 2024, the act would take effect July 1.
Gabby Petito Act intended to protect lives of domestic violence victims, survivors
Book said in the news release they are working to honor Gabby Petito's life by protecting the lives of victims and survivors before it's too late, so as to protect them in ways that Gabby Petito wasn't.
"United as a family, we stand together in support of this legislative bill against domestic violence, advocating for justice, protection, and a brighter future for all," Joseph Petito of Vero Beach, Gabby Petito's father, said in a statement in the news release.
"This legislation is a lifeline for those in peril," Bartleman said.
Read SB 610, Gabby Petito Act, in its entirety
Gabby Petito Act finds Florida support
The bill has support from advocates across Florida including Linda L. Parker, the president and CEO of Women in Distress of Broward County Inc., and Mindy Murphy, the president and CEO of The Spring of Tampa Bay Inc., according to the news release.
“The proposed Gabby Petito Act will standardize the way Florida law enforcement officers assess risk when they are called to the scene of an alleged incident of domestic violence," Murphy said.
"This act can save the lives of survivors, their children, and those around them by identifying high lethality cases on scene. Immediately connecting victims with resources like safety planning and shelter at their locally certified domestic violence centers can quite literally be the difference between life and death.
"The Petito family’s mission is to ensure no other family experiences what they have; this Act in their daughter’s memory will help do just that.”
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Gabby Petito Act: Domestic Violence SB 610 seeks to protect victims
