Anti-Domestic Violence Effort Named After Fallen IMPD Officer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An initiative to reduce domestic violence in Indianapolis is named after a police officer killed in the line of duty responding to such an incident, officials say.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department on Tuesday announced the Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence Against Men, Women and Children, or LEATH for short, The Indianapolis Star reported.

IMPD Officer Breann Leath, 24, was fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence call on April 9.

The initiative is a partnership between IMPD, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

The LEATH initiative will work to identify domestic violence offenders who are found to commit a crime with an illegally possessed gun, IMPD said in a news release. Those offenders would then be targeted for federal prosecution, which can mean harsher sentences.

During the first quarter of the year, IMPD had 6,664 domestic violence runs, more than double he 3,130 run for the same period in 2019.

“Officer Breann Leath always went above and beyond in her service to others," IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said. "It is only fitting that an initiative named in her honor will provide our officers with the tools to better serve survivors of domestic violence and ensure those who sought to victimize them are held accountable.”

U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler said domestic violence offenders who have access to guns are five times more likely to kill their partners than those who do not have such access.