As the 2026 legislative session gets underway, Indiana lawmakers are again debating how best to respond to one of the most dangerous and emotionally charged situations police officers face: domestic violence calls.
State Rep. Maureen Bauer (D–South Bend) has reintroduced House Bill 1310, widely known as the “Gabby Petito Act,” which would require Indiana law enforcement officers to administer a lethality assessment when responding to domestic violence incidents. The bill is drawing renewed attention after a similar proposal stalled last session.
From a center-right perspective, the question is not whether domestic violence is a serious problem—it undeniably is—but whether this legislation strikes the right balance between victim protection, officer safety, and practical law enforcement discretion.
What the Bill Would Do
HB 1310 would require officers responding to domestic violence calls to conduct a short, structured risk screening—typically a series of yes-or-no questions designed to identify whether a victim faces a heightened risk of serious injury or death.
These assessments focus on well-established danger indicators such as threats to kill, access to firearms, strangulation, escalating violence, and attempts to separate from an abuser. If a case is flagged as high risk, officers can immediately connect victims with advocacy services, safety planning, and emergency resources.
Supporters argue the approach helps move beyond a “check the box and leave” response, especially in cases where victims may downplay danger out of fear, emotional attachment, or financial dependence.
Officer Safety and Accountability
Domestic violence calls consistently rank among the most dangerous situations officers encounter—often second only to traffic stops. Knowing whether a situation involves firearms, credible death threats, or escalating behavior can materially affect how officers approach a scene.
From a law-and-order standpoint, tools that improve situational awareness and reduce surprise risks are difficult to dismiss. The bill’s revised language removes rigid mandates about which assessment tool must be used, allowing departments flexibility to rely on validated screening models already in use across parts of Indiana.
That flexibility is a key improvement from prior versions and may help address concerns about unfunded mandates or one-size-fits-all policing from the Statehouse.
Why It’s Named After Gabby Petito
The legislation is named for Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old travel blogger murdered by her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, in 2021. Her death followed a widely scrutinized police encounter in Utah where officers responded to a domestic disturbance but failed to identify the level of danger she faced.
Her father, Joseph Petito, has since advocated nationwide for better training and risk assessment tools for law enforcement. He frequently cites sobering statistics: roughly one in three women, one in five men, and millions of children are affected by domestic violence each year.
Indiana’s bill follows similar efforts in other states, including Florida, which enacted its own version of the Gabby Petito Act in 2024.
A Measured Path Forward
For conservatives, skepticism toward new mandates is healthy—especially when legislation affects policing. But HB 1310 does not dictate arrests, remove officer judgment, or impose criminal penalties. Instead, it focuses on information gathering and early intervention, with an emphasis on connecting victims to help rather than expanding state power for its own sake.
If implemented carefully, lethality assessments can serve as a preventative tool—helping officers identify truly high-risk cases before they escalate into tragedies, without criminalizing families unnecessarily or overburdening police.
The bill is still early in the legislative process, and passage is far from guaranteed. But as lawmakers debate it, the focus should remain on practical outcomes: safer officers, better-informed responses, and fewer preventable deaths.
For those facing domestic violence, confidential help is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or thehotline.org.
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