California Protective Order Registry Increases Safety

California established a registry to keep track of restraining orders and protective orders in an effort to organize and share information as well as to help inform judges.

In February of 2008, the California Courts started a project to create a Protective Order Registry (CCPOR). The registry provides trial courts and law enforcement officials with protective and restraining orders from across the entire state. Since 2008, the CCPOR has become available in 22 California counties. The rest of the state will have access by 2013.

What Is Included In the Registry?

The following are some types of orders that are included in the registry: domestic violence restraining orders, out-of-state domestic violence restraining orders, emergency protective orders and civil harassment restraining orders.

Simplified Access To Protective Orders

The CCPOR provides many benefits over California's prior process called the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications Service (CLETS). One of the benefits is simplification of the process. The CCPOR simplified the protective order research process by no longer requiring a user certification process and reducing the time spent on training. More judicial and law enforcement officials are now using the system.

In addition to simplification of record-keeping, the new database streamlines information across the state of California. Under the old approach, a judge may have access to the records for only the county or courthouse in which he or she was working. Under the CCPOR, judicial and law enforcement officers are able to see records for the entire state. This prevents inconsistent or conflicting orders.

Improvements Facilitated By The CCPOR

The CCPOR has facilitated the following improvements in the California judicial system:

• More information enables judges and law enforcement to make informed decisions
• Protective orders can be found quickly and easily by name, case number or other essential information
• Orders are easily shared between courts and across counties.

Most importantly, domestic violence victims are safer, because law enforcement officers have 24/7 access to images and complete up-to-date protective orders. These improvements will continue as the CCPOR expands to the remaining 36 counties in California.

Restraining order information will also be more readily accessible to protect children in child custody disputes. The CCPOR enables judges to easily verify and validate information in the midst of child custody hearings and cases.

As a result of these improvements, victims of domestic abuse in California will no longer be issued invalid protective orders with conflicting terms and conditions. If you worry about your safety or the safety of you children as you consider filing for divorce, contact a determined family law attorney who will seek any necessary protective orders to make sure you and your children are protected.