Domestic violence.

The current statewide and local legal process for victim survivors of domestic violence to seek court-ordered emergency protections is antiquated and unacceptable.

While the issues surrounding domestic violence have received greater national and local attention, we must understand there are many reasons a victim survivor of domestic violence may be reticent to seek court protection and the court process should not be one of those reasons.

But, perhaps there is hope. The Broward County Chiefs of Police Association (B.C.C.P.A) formed a committee, which included the participation of many stakeholders in Broward County, to reexamine the current process for victims of domestic violence. After months of research, analysis, and meetings, the B.C.C.P.A issued a comprehensive report examining the current state of the law and the process in Broward County.

Points of consensus developed by the committee shine an intense light on what we are failing to do for victims and how we can do more. A major theme included the recognition that the law and the process for victims have not caught up with basic technology available in our daily lives.

Some of the recommendations require the Florida Legislature to amend statutes, the Florida Supreme Court to amend rules of procedure, and the courts to implement technology enhancements. Other recommendations require a local commitment to do better.

For instance, currently, all victims wanting court-ordered protections from domestic violence must go in person to the main courthouse. Often, the victims, and their children, wait hours if not the entire day at the courthouse. While there is a system theoretically available for electronic filing of petitions, the committee was...

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