§ 19.2-152.8. Emergency protective orders authorized in cases of stalking and acts of violence
A. Any judge of a circuit court, general district court, juvenile and domestic relations district court or magistrate may issue a written or oral ex parte emergency protective order pursuant to this section in order to protect the health or safety of any person.
B. When a law-enforcement officer, an allegedly stalked person or an alleged victim of a criminal offense resulting in a serious bodily injury to the alleged victim asserts under oath to a judge or magistrate that such person is being or has been subjected to stalking or a criminal offense resulting in a serious bodily injury to the alleged victim and on that assertion or other evidence the judge or magistrate finds that (i) there is probable danger of a further such offense being committed by the respondent against the alleged victim and (ii) a warrant for the arrest of the respondent has been issued, the judge or magistrate shall issue an ex parte emergency protective order imposing one or more of the following conditions on the respondent:
1. Prohibiting acts of violence or acts of stalking in violation of § 18.2-60.3;
2. Prohibiting such contacts by the respondent with the alleged victim of such crime or such person's family or household members as the judge or magistrate deems necessary to protect the safety of such persons; and
3. Such other conditions as the judge or magistrate deems necessary to prevent acts of stalking, or criminal offenses resulting in injury to person or property, or communication or other contact of any kind by the respondent.
C. An emergency protective order issued pursuant to this section shall expire at the end of the third day following issuance. If the expiration occurs at a time that the court is not in session, the emergency protective order shall be extended until the end of the next business day that the court which issued the order is in session. The respondent may at any time file a motion with the court requesting a hearing to dissolve or modify the order. The hearing on the motion shall be given precedence on the docket of the court.
D. A law-enforcement officer may request an emergency protective order pursuant to this section orally, in person or by electronic means, and the judge of a circuit court, general district court, or juvenile and domestic relations district court or a magistrate may issue an oral emergency protective order. An oral emergency protective order issued pursuant to this section shall be reduced to writing, by the law-enforcement officer requesting the order or the magistrate, on a preprinted form approved and provided by the Supreme Court of Virginia. The completed form shall include a statement of the grounds for the order asserted by the officer or the alleged victim of such crime.
E. The court or magistrate shall forthwith, but in all cases no later than the end of the business day on which the order was issued, enter and transfer identifying information provided to the court or magistrate electronically to the Virginia Criminal Information Network. A copy of an emergency protective order issued pursuant to this section and an addendum containing any such identifying information shall be forwarded forthwith to the primary law-enforcement agency responsible for service and entry of protective orders. Upon receipt of the order and addendum by the primary law-enforcement agency, the agency shall forthwith verify and enter any modification as necessary to the identifying information and other appropriate information required by the Department of State Police into the Virginia Criminal Information Network established and maintained by the Department pursuant to Chapter 2 (§ 52-12 et seq.) of Title 52 and the order shall be served forthwith upon the respondent and due return made to the court. However, if the order is issued by the circuit court, the clerk of the circuit court shall forthwith forward an attested copy of the order and an addendum containing identifying information to the primary law-enforcement agency providing service and entry of protective orders and upon receipt of the order and addendum, the primary law-enforcement agency shall enter the name of the person subject to the order and other appropriate information required by the Department of State Police into the Virginia Criminal Information Network established and maintained by the Department pursuant to Chapter 2 (§ 52-12 et seq.) of Title 52 and the order shall be served forthwith upon the respondent. Upon service, the agency making service shall enter the date and time of service and other appropriate information required into the Virginia Criminal Information Network and make due return to the court. One copy of the order shall be given to the alleged victim of such crime. The judge or magistrate who issues an oral order pursuant to an electronic request by a law-enforcement officer shall verify the written order to determine whether the officer who reduced it to writing accurately transcribed the contents of the oral order. The original copy shall be filed with the clerk of the appropriate district court within five business days of the issuance of the order. If the order is later dissolved or modified, a copy of the dissolution or modification order shall also be attested, forwarded forthwith to the primary law-enforcement agency responsible for service and entry of protective orders, and upon receipt of the order by the primary law-enforcement agency, the agency shall forthwith verify and enter any modification as necessary to the identifying information and other appropriate information required by the Department of State Police into the Virginia Criminal Information Network as described above and the order shall be served forthwith and due return made to the court. Upon request, the clerk shall provide the alleged victim of such crime with information regarding the date and time of service.
F. The issuance of an emergency protective order shall not be considered evidence of any wrongdoing by the respondent.
G. As used in this section, a "law-enforcement officer" means any (i) person who is a full-time or part-time employee of a police department or sheriff's office which is part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic or highway laws of the Commonwealth and (ii) member of an auxiliary police force established pursuant to subsection B of § 15.2-1731. Part-time employees are compensated officers who are not full-time employees as defined by the employing police department or sheriff's office.
H. Neither a law-enforcement agency, the attorney for the Commonwealth, a court nor the clerk's office, nor any employee of them, may disclose, except among themselves, the residential address, telephone number, or place of employment of the person protected by the order or that of the family of such person, except to the extent that disclosure is (i) required by law or the Rules of the Supreme Court, (ii) necessary for law-enforcement purposes, or (iii) permitted by the court for good cause.
I. As used in this section, "copy" includes a facsimile copy.
J. No fee shall be charged for filing or serving any petition pursuant to this section.
K. If any identifying information in the addendum is determined to be incorrect by the entering agency, the agency shall enter the corrected information into the Virginia Criminal Information Network.
(1997, c. 831; 1998, cc. 569, 684; 1999, c. 371; 2001, c. 474; 2002, cc. 507, 706, 810, 818; 2003, c. 730; 2008, cc. 73, 246.)
Sections: 19.2-152.8 19.2-152.9 19.2-152.10 NextLast modified: April 16, 2009