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Judicial Technology and Automation Committee
Division of State Court Administration
30 S. Meridian Street, Ste. 500
Indianapolis, IN  46204

Mary DePrez
Director and Counsel for Trial Court Technology

Pho: 317.234.2604
mdeprez@jtac.in.gov

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Overview

The Indiana Supreme Court partnered with the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and State Police to receive two federal grants to create and implement the statewide Protection Order Registry (POR) which makes judicial orders available to local, state and national law enforcement agencies within minutes, all at no cost to counties.

Annually, far too many Hoosiers die as a result of domestic violence and tens of thousands of adults and children are forced to seek help from emergency shelter because it is not safe for them to stay at home. Protection Orders are a significant tool to help protect victims of domestic violence and their families, but court orders are ineffective unless the information reaches local and state law enforcement officers who need to enforce them.

The Indiana Protection Order Registry links Indiana courts issuing Protection and No-Contact Orders to the State Police’s Indiana Data and Communication System (IDACS) and the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Because orders are entered and available immediately, it:

• Accelerates information-sharing by providing complete records in a timely fashion.
• Ensures data accuracy and consistency.
• Enhances state and national databanks.
• Increases protection across state lines as well as within Indiana.
• Reduces administrative work by local officers who currently re-type orders into IDACS.
• Notifies victim that their order has been issued, served, and will expire in 60 days.

Addressing domestic violence is a complex issue, and the Protection Order Registry will significantly assist those at risk. Furthermore, the partnership between the Executive and Judicial branches of Indiana government demonstrates that state leaders are committed to protecting victims.

How it Works

When orders are issued, two things happen:

• The Order is entered into the system and electronically shared with IDACS and NCIC within minutes, and
• A notification of the Order is faxed or e-mailed to local law enforcement agencies where the parties live and work.

This ensures that all appropriate law enforcement agencies are immediately notified when a Protection or No-Contact Order is issued, modified or revoked.

In January 2007, JTAC initially deployed the system in three pilot counties and as a result of the efficient and reliable information sharing through the Registry, the legislature made the Registry mandatory on July 1, 2009, requiring its use by courts and law enforcement agencies. JTAC continues to make enhancements to the Registry. In July 2009, JTAC launched the POR Advocate Access application.  The POR Advocate Access was designed for advocates to work directly with petitioners in completing the petitions on-line.  Once a petition is completed and submitted in POR Advocate Access, the information is electronically transmitted to the Registry so that the local clerk can import the petition information when it is officially filed, thereby eliminating the required data entry within the Registry.  By March 2010, the POR Advocate Access had been deployed to 55 domestic violence agencies that serve multiple counties statewide.

Also in March, JTAC implemented an interface between the statewide Odyssey case management system and the Protection Order Registry. Data is now shared between these two systems, avoiding duplicate data entry by court and clerk staff.

In April 2011, JTAC made available the option to print an English/Spanish version of the orders for protection. In addition, a victim notification function was implemented.  The victim notification allows the petitioner to be notified when their order has been issued, served and is about to expire. 

In June 2011, JTAC provided judicial officers the ability to attach their electronic signatures to the orders that they issue.  This enhancement allows electronically signed orders to be printed directly from the Registry.  In addition, the ability to search on-line for protection orders was made available.  A search result will provide basic case information such as the respondent's/defendant's name, when the order was issued, served, dismissed/terminated, and if a firearm restriction is associated with that order.  The on-line search can only be conducted by the cause number or by the name of the respondent/defendant. 

Project Benefits

The Indiana Protection Order Registry significantly enhances the effectiveness of law enforcement officers as well as courts and clerks. The Registry:

• Generates a state-approved order.
• Automatically enters and deletes orders in IDACS as well as validates hit confirmations.
• Minimizes data entry by maintaining both parties’ information for future use.
• Allows orders to be modified instead of recreated.
• Allows authorized users to view the conditions of an order from any computer.
• Allows law enforcement agencies to verify the existence of a valid order and service information immediately.
• Allows petitioners to be notified when the order is issued, served and about to expire.
• Allows orders to be printed with the Spanish translation included.
• Allows judicial officers' electronic signatures to be attached to their orders and printed with their signatures.
• Allows protection orders to be searched on-line by cause number or respondent/defendant name.

Learn More About POR at JTAC's Project Blog
Get a PDF Factsheet about POR
Search Protection Orders
Protection Order, No Contact Order and Workplace Violence Restraining Order Forms
October 2, 2006 Press Release: Indiana Gets $259,000 to Speed Protection Orders

Contact Information

For more information on the project contact LaJuan Epperson at 317-234-2870 (Fax: 317-234-2605) or lepperson@jtac.in.gov.