The Clerk of Court in Orange County, Florida, has changed the way that the local government can deal with domestic violence situations. This was done, according to those involved, because there are domestic violence cases that need to be addressed on off hours; they do not always come up during the standard workday or even during the week.
In response to this need, 25 employees of Harbor House of Central Florida have been deputized. This was a two-week process, starting on Thursday, April 17. Now that this has been done, the workers will be able to look at domestic violence injunction petitions at all hours, even after the main office has been closed for the day.
The overall goal is to make sure that people who submit these petitions asking for protection are not forced to wait. It will allow them to get the protection that they need in a timely manner. While the petitions still do have to be processed and the response will not be immediate, these new employees will help speed up the process.
Anyone in Florida who has been arrested for domestic violence needs to know how this law works so that they can understand when the paperwork will be processed. This changes the way that things go through the system in Orange County, so petitions could be granted more quickly than usual. Possible defendants need to understand that this is now legal, even with the office closed. This information may be important when deciding how they want to address the case and their defense.
Source: News 13, “Harbor House workers deputized in domestic violence fight” No author given, Apr. 17, 2014
Andrew Moses
Andrew has been practicing criminal law his entire career. After graduating from law school he began working as an Assistant State Attorney prosecuting cases in Orange and Osceola Counties. During his time as an Assistant State Attorney, Andrew handled all types of cases ranging from misdemeanors to such serious felonies as drug trafficking and armed robbery. His experience as a prosecutor helped him gain perspective of the criminal justice system and how the government established its cases.
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