Step 4: Safety With
an Order of Protection
Many battered victims obey protection orders, but
one can never be sure which violent partner will obey
and whill will violate their protection order. I recognize
that I may need to ask the police and the court to
enforce my protection order.
The following are some steps
I can take to help the enforcement of my Protection
Order
1. I will keep my protection order _________________________
(location). Always keep it on or near your person.
If you change purses, that's the first thing that
should go in.
2. I will give my protection order to police departments
in the communities where I usually visit family or
friends and in the community where I live.
3. There should be a county registry for protection
orders that all police departments can call to confirm
a protection order. I can check to make sure that
my order is in the registry. The telephone number
for the county registry of protection order is ___________________________
4. For further safety if I often visit other counties
in Iowa, I might file my protection order with the
court in those counties. I will register my protection
order in the following counties: __________________________________________________________
5. I can call the local domestic violence program
if I am not sure about 2, 3, or 4 above or if I have
some problem with my protection order.
6. I will inform my employer _______________________________________
and others on a need to know basis that I have a protection
order in effect.
7. If my partner destroys my protection order, I
can get another copy from the Clerk of Court in the
county where I filed
8. If my partner violates the protection order, I
can get the police and report a violation, contact
my attorney, call my advocate, and/or advise the court
of the violation.
9. If the police do not help, I can contact my advocate
or attorney for assistance in filing a complaint with
the Chief of the Police Department.
10. I can also file a private criminal complaint
with the County Attorney. I can charge my battering
partner with a violation of the Order of Protection
and all the crimes that he/she commits in violating
the order. I can ask the domestic violence advocate
to help me with this.
