Plan introduced to speed up protective court orders

New procedures are in place to cut the amount of time it takes the courts to issue a temporary protective order.

The orders, often issued in cases of domestic violence, prohibit a person seen as a threat from coming near a potential victim. In the past, it has taken days for judges or hearing masters to issue such orders, leaving battered or frightened spouses without even the limited protection of a court order.

Now it will take "one judicial day" to issue such orders, said Family Court Administrator Christina Chandler. Six-hundred applications for protective orders are filed each month at Family Court, she said.

In most cases, protective orders can be issued within 24 hours, although holidays and weekends can sometimes slow the process, according to a news release from Chandler.

The streamlined process was prompted by Patricia Doninger, who was recently appointed domestic violence commissioner at Family Court, Presiding Family Court Judge Gloria Sanchez said.

The process includes a special window at the county clerk's office for filing domestic violence cases and shortcuts that get cases before a judge or commissioner in the shortest possible time, Chandler said.

"Doninger recognized the need for immediate protection orders and maintained that a change could be made in the system to provide faster service," Chandler said, noting that the new procedure is the result of efforts by the county clerk's office, the Family Violence Center and District Court administrators.

Domestic violence in Clark County is increasing at a rate of 25 percent a year, according to the news release. More than 6,000 arrests on domestic violence charges were made in the first half of 1998.

Chandler said the new procedure balances the need for expedited temporary protective orders with the need to provide "compassionate, confidential and safety-minded services."

Sanchez said the new process still doesn't guarantee that protective orders will be issued but that there will be quicker decisions.

The judge said the new procedure has not required any additional taxpayer money but is the result of "people working smarter and harder."

"We're thrilled we can finally turn these cases around in one judicial day," Sanchez said. "We're proud to offer this expedited service to the community."

Protective orders are issued for a 30-day period and can be renewed for up to a year after a hearing is held.

Sanchez said the streamlined process complements the existing emergency process in place for cases of domestic violence that result in arrests.

The judge said fax machines relay requests for protective orders to judges, commissioners and hearing masters, at their homes if necessary. Signed orders are faxed back to the jails, where the batterers can be served before their 12-hour mandatory incarceration is completed.

A temporary protective order office was established at Family Court in 1993 to assist victims in filling out applications for protective orders and provide information on the court process and community services.

District Court staff are assisted by two victim advocates provided by SafeNest/TADC, a nonprofit agency that has offered assistance to domestic violence victims for years.

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