Emergency Protective Orders

Programs that help victims of domestic abuse obtain an emergency protective order (EPO) immediately after an incident has occurred. Emergency protective orders are issued by a judge at the request of a law enforcement officer where there is a danger of domestic violence, child abuse, abduction or elder abuse. In most cases, the law enforcement officer has been called to a person's residence for a disturbance. If the officer feels an emergency protective order is necessary, s/he will contact the court to speak to an on-call judicial officer. The EPO can order the abuser not to contact the victim, to stay away from the victim, and to move out of the victim's home immediately until the order expires. The EPO can also award temporary care and custody of any affected children. Emergency protective orders are very short term and generally remain in effect for five business days or seven calendar days. To extend the protection, the individual needs to apply for a temporary restraining order in civil court.