New Ind. program allows online protection requests

INDIANAPOLIS – A pilot program in eight Indiana counties allows domestic violence victims to fill out forms to request protective orders online.

The Indiana Supreme Court says the new program debuted this month in Elkhart, St. Joseph, Marion, Grant, Madison, Wabash, Tippecanoe and Allen counties. It’s an expansion of the state’s electronic protective order registry that makes new orders available to police statewide within minutes.

The registry is used in all Indiana counties but Jefferson County, where the courthouse was recently heavily damaged by fire.

Once the online forms are completed with the help of a domestic violence advocate, they can be printed and taken to the county clerk for filing.

The improvements were financed by a $135,000 grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.