"Where
do I get a restraining order?" The
Newton Falls Public Library staff member was unfamiliar as to where a patron
would specifically go to get such an order, so this was a learning process for
her as well.
An
online search took us to the website for Ohio Legal Services. There we learned that there is a difference
between a restraining
order and a civil or criminal protection order (CPO). In Ohio, a "domestic relations court may issue a
restraining order in a divorce or legal separation case to protect one spouse
from the other, abusive spouse." Civil or criminal protection orders must
be enforced by law enforcement officers
anywhere in the State of Ohio. Protection orders, especially a civil protection order, may
contain additional provisions.
We still did not have a definitive answer to our
patron's question. More information was
found at the website of the Franklin County, Ohio Court of Common Pleas. The
section about Protection Orders has a list of questions and answers. "There are four different kinds of
protection orders. Criminal court may issue a Temporary Protection Order (TPO)
or an Anti-Stalking Protection Order (SPO) depending on the type of charge and
your relationship to the defendant. Civil (Domestic) Court issues Civil
Protection Orders (CPO) if you are a family or household member of the
defendant. If you are being stalked, Common Pleas Court may issue a Civil
Staking Protection Order (CSPO)."
Our patron viewed the information to determine what type of order needed
and the proper agency from which to request it.
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