What is a Protection Order?

Purpose and qualifying abuse:

• A Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) is a court order that can prohibit contact or other specific behaviors, such as abuse, threats, stalking or harm, committed by current or former intimate partners, family members, or household members.
• Abuse includes: physical harm, threats of harm, unlawful harassment, nonconsensual sexual acts, stalking, and coercively controlling behaviors.
  • This includes threats or abusive behaviors that occur online.
• A single incident may qualify someone to file for a DVPO. Please keep in mind that courts will need enough details to thoroughly evaluate the facts of the case to determine if the legal threshold to issue an order has been met.

What can a DVPO do?

• Prohibit acts of domestic violence
• Exclude the restrained party, and/or prohibit them from knowingly coming within a specific distance, from petitioner’s work place, school, residence, petitioner’s person, etc.
• Prohibit contact, including cyber harassment
• Order the temporary removal of firearms, dangerous weapons, and any concealed pistol license(s)
• Remove the restrained person from shared residence
• Protection for minor children, including temporary custody and visitation schedule, as appropriate. (Note:  This is not a formal custody order or parenting plan)
• Grant essential possessions (examples: use of vehicle, medicine, tools of the trade, pets)
• Order restrained person to engage in treatment or counseling, as appropriate
• Other relief

Purpose and qualifying abuse:

• A Sexual Assault Protection Order (SAPO) is a court order that can prohibit contact and specific behaviors from someone who has engaged in any nonconsensual sexual acts and/or penetration.
• A single incident may qualify someone to file for a SAPO. Please keep in mind that courts will need enough details to thoroughly evaluate the facts of the case to determine if the legal threshold to issue an order has been met.

What can a SAPO do?

• Prohibit acts of nonconsensual sexual conduct and other forms of abuse or harm
• Exclude the restrained party, and/or prohibit them from knowingly coming within a specific distance, from petitioner’s workplace, school, residence, petitioner’s person, etc.
• Prohibit contact, including cyber harassment
• Order the temporary removal of firearms, dangerous weapons, and any concealed pistol license(s)
• Protection for minor children.
• Grant essential possessions (examples: use of vehicle, medicine, tools of the trade, pets)
• Order restrained person to engage in treatment or counseling, as appropriate
• Other relief

Purpose and qualifying abuse:

Purpose and qualifying abuse:

• A Stalking Protection Order (SPO) is a court order that can be filed against someone who is engaging in criminal stalking behavior or cyber harassment.
• Stalking includes repeated attempts to contact, monitor, and/or track or follow someone’s whereabouts, where those behaviors scare or threaten that individual’s safety.
  • This includes threats or abusive behaviors that occur online.

What can a Stalking Protection Order do?

• Prohibit contact of any kind, including cyber harassment
• Exclude the restrained party, and/or prohibit them from knowingly coming within a specific distance, from petitioner’s work place, school, residence, petitioner’s person, etc.
• Order the temporary removal of firearms, dangerous weapons, and any concealed pistol license(s)
• Other relief

Purpose and qualifying abuse:

• A Vulnerable Adult Protection Orders (VAPO) is a court order that can prohibit contact and other specific behaviors from someone who has engaged in abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation, neglect or threats thereof, against a vulnerable adult. It’s important to note that vulnerable adult is a legal determination; see the criteria section for specific definitions.
• A single incident qualifies someone to file for a VAPO. Please keep in mind that courts will need enough details to thoroughly evaluate the facts of the case to determine if the legal threshold to issue an order has been met.

What can a VAPO do?

• Prohibit contact of any kind, and be tailored to individual needs.
• Exclude the restrained party, and/or prohibit them from knowingly coming within a specific distance, from petitioner’s workplace, school, residence, petitioner’s person, etc.
• Order the temporary removal of firearms, dangerous weapons, and any concealed pistol license(s)
• Require the respondent to give an accounting of the vulnerable adult’s income or other resources, if the respondent had control of the vulnerable adult’s assets
• Other relief

Purpose and qualifying abuse:

• An Anti-Harassment Protection Order (AHPO) is a court order that can prohibit contact and specific behaviors by someone whose behavior alarms, annoys or harasses that serve no legitimate purpose.
• These orders may include the threat of violence, an act of violence or repeated harassment.
  • This includes threats or abusive behaviors that occur online.
• Either a single incident or a course of conduct must be demonstrated to qualify someone to file for an AHPO.  Please keep in mind that courts will need enough details to thoroughly evaluate the facts of the case to determine if the legal threshold to issue an order has been met.

What can an AHPO do?

• Exclude the restrained party, and/or prohibit them from knowingly coming within a specific distance, from petitioner’s workplace, school, residence, petitioner’s person, etc.
• Prohibit contact, including cyber harassment
• Order the temporary removal of firearms, dangerous weapons, and any concealed pistol license(s)
• Grant essential possessions (examples: use of vehicle, medicine, tools of the trade, pets)
• Order restrained person to engage in treatment or counseling, as appropriate
• Other relief