The Herald Bulletin of Anderson had an interesting editorial last week entitled “Protective order program should be used statewide”. The editorial starts off with:
Across Indiana, there are 52,000 active protective orders against individuals accused or convicted of violent acts against another person.
Most orders are obtained by victims going to a county clerk’s office and filing a petition. Sometimes they have to wait in line before a staffer can help them complete the paperwork. The process can be unnerving, adding frustration to the trauma they’ve already experienced. Victims can feel powerless.
A new pilot program should make the process more accessible and serve as an additional step in helping law enforcement protect the victims.
Madison County has been named one of eight Hoosier counties to test a domestic violence registry pilot program.
In those counties, domestic violence advocates have online access in seeking protective orders on behalf of victims. Trained advocates can file paperwork at anytime, online at a shelter or other office.
JTAC’s Protection Order Registry is now standard operating procedure across the state and is required by state law, but the registry’s new public access feature brings even more functionality to an already popular initiative. For that, we couldn’t agree more with the Herald Bulletin and we doubt many Hoosiers would disagree.
