Monroe County Sheriff's Office

       Monroe County Clerk, Linda Robbins, and Prosecutor Chris Gaal, have established a new partnership to assist Monroe County residents seeking civil protective orders.  The Protective Order Assistance Partnership (POAP) will utilize volunteers to meet with citizens in a private space in the Clerk’s Office to answer basic questions about the process, provide assistance in filling out the forms correctly, and make referrals to other available services, including Middle Way House.
       “I am so grateful to the partners who stepped up to help our citizens when in need. Through all our efforts, individuals may receive the right kind of help from trained assistants who understand the complex issues that confront this population,” says Clerk Linda Robbins. “We have made private space available within our office so that individuals seeking protection are able to speak confidentially about their situation.”
       The volunteers will come from the I. U. Maurer School of Law’s Protective Order Project, and Middle Way House.  The Prosecutor’s Office will supervise a student intern from the I. U. School of Social Work to coordinate the program.
       Prof. Seth Lahn, faculty director of the Law School’s Protective Order Project, welcomes the initiative, saying:  “Taking our services to where the clients are, within the Clerk’s Office yet within a private space for interviews, will allow us to reach many more victims of domestic violence, stalking, or sex offenses in the community.”
       Toby Strout, Executive Director of Middle Way House, is pleased to be part of a partnership which brings more services to victims and survivors.  “Middle Way House’s Legal Advocates serve an average of 38 new clients and 51 continuing clients each month at the New Wings site. Meeting with people at the Clerk’s Office will bring the whole range of Middle Way services to more members of the community.”  
       Indiana law authorizes the issuance of a protective order where a petitioner has alleged that violence by a family or household member; stalking; or a sex offense has occurred. The prosecutor's office already obtains "no contact" order at the request of a victim in a pending criminal case. In 2010, Monroe County judges also ordered 444 protective orders from over 600 requests that were made to the civil courts
       “We are glad to support a program that improves the accessibility and quality of services for those seeking civil protective orders on their own,” states Prosecutor Gaal.
       Volunteers will be available in the Clerk’s Office Mondays from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to noon, and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.