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January 13, 2010
A new law, proposed by Portland Representative Anne Haskell would help protect domestic violence victims more effectively by allowing law enforcement officers to print out electronic copies of "Protection From Abuse" orders and serve them on alleged abusers while out in the field.
The legislation, LD 1722, responds to a serious weakness in the "Protection From Abuse" process: While victims of domestic violence may get a judge to order that their abuser stay away from them, it can often take weeks for that order to be served on the abuser. And the gap between when the order is granted and when it is served can be a potentially deadly time. Normally, orders are issued by the court and are the only legitimate document that can be served by law enforcement officers. But under the proposed legislation, law enforcement officers who encounter an individual against whom an order has been granted can serve them with a copy of the order that they print out.
"When it comes to the service of Protection From Abuse Orders, time is of the essence,” says Jessica Dorr, Community Educator at Abused Women's Advocacy Project in Farmington. Dorr, and other domestic violence advocates in Maine are encouraged by this effort to speed the service of Protection from Abuse and Harassment Orders.
"We just completed a study with victims of domestic violence around the state. Many spoke of the weeks it can take to serve a Protection Order, placing them in greater danger,” said Jill Barkley, Public Awareness and Policy Coordinator at the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence. Aware of this issue, Public Safety Commissioner Anne Jordan and a committee consisting of Attorney Faye Luppi, Mary Lucia and Tracy Poulin of the Department of Public Safety, Lt. Bessette of the Maine State Police and Doug Birgfeld of the Administrative Office of the Courts, have been working on this issue. The group has applied for grant funding that will implement this legislation.
The Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence commends the Department of Public Safety for their efforts to increase victims’ access to safety. "Our hope is that this law decreases the amount of time before a perpetrator is served and keeps Mainers safe,” said Barkley.
For more information, please contact:
Jill Barkley, Public Awareness and Policy Coordinator, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, 207-332-1297
Jessica Dorr, Community Educator, Abused Women's Advocacy Project, 207-778-6107
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