Billings council reviews police risk assessment, referrals and shelter limits for domestic violence survivors

Billings officials on Monday reviewed how the city and its partner agencies use risk assessments and referrals when responding to domestic violence calls.

Officer Katie Nash of the Billings Police Department told the council the department has used the Arizona intimate partner risk assessment (APPRISE) "for almost a decade" and administers it voluntarily after probable cause or when an investigation is concluded. "Victims can choose to participate or not," Nash said, adding that "anything that a victim tells an officer is going to be discoverable." She described the assessment's scoring (elevated and high risk) and said officers refer those scoring high to the YWCA helpline and the Family Justice Center for additional services.

Jen Weber, a victim‑witness specialist with the city attorney's domestic violence unit, described the office's role in preparing bond information, monitoring no‑contact violations and contacting victims before arraignment. Weber said the unit creates victim packets and aims to reach survivors before morning court, and that some information the office gathers is discoverable: "Everything that I discuss with the victim becomes discoverable to defense as part of the criminal case," she said.

Erin of the YWCA, identified in the meeting record as the YWCA CEO, described community services available through Gateway Horizons shelter and the Northern Lights Family Justice Center. She said the shelter has 25 studio units and that the FJC offers a broader menu of services, including housing navigation and about 32 slots for rapid rehousing or transitional housing assistance. "Since 07/01/2024, we've served 386 individuals through the Northern Lights Family Justice Center," she said, noting that 81% of those clients did not use shelter.

Council members pressed for data and clarity on several fronts. Multiple members asked about the APPRISE declination rate; Nash said department investigators do not currently have a reliable figure and lack capacity to analyze the forms in depth. Council members also requested basic helpline metrics — total calls, missed calls and differences between weekday and weekend demand — and whether the FJC tracks how many referrals result in intake. Erin said the helpline fields roughly 2,500 calls a year with one person on duty for many shifts and that typical calls run 15–30 minutes; she agreed to provide call counts and referral summaries but said the program does not currently track missed calls in a way that yields a simple monthly total.

On confidentiality, presenters stressed a distinction between law‑enforcement assessments and advocate‑administered tools. Nash said APPRISE answers are discoverable and can be used in bond arguments; Erin said the FJC's danger assessment (the Jackie Campbell tool) is administered by advocates, kept outside the criminal record and is not shared back to the prosecution unless the survivor gives permission. "Because of the Montana advocate‑privilege statute, we are not able to share that information" without consent, she told the council.

Council members also discussed response capacity and training. Police described a dedicated DV investigative team of two investigators supported by overtime funding, scenario‑based academy training and a contract requirement for four hours of continuing DV training per officer annually; staff described a planned high‑risk warrant response protocol using a SWAT matrix for selected active warrants.

The council did not take formal votes on these items. Members requested follow‑up data (declination rates, call volumes by day/type, referral follow‑through and 9‑1‑1 statistics) and asked staff to convene a subsequent meeting that includes courts, the county attorney and the sheriff to discuss legislative and procedural issues.

Public comment at the end of the meeting included concerns about the city's public calendar and a request that the council consider how to fund analytics support for small nonprofits to supply the data the council is requesting.

The council closed the session with a plan to schedule a follow‑up meeting and to return the requested statistics.