Louisville, Ky.- Today, DuPage County, west of Chicago, became the first community in Illinois to offer automated notification to victims of domestic violence who are granted orders of protection against their offenders.
VINE Protective Order™ allows victims to call a toll-free number to find out whether a protective order has been served, when court hearings are scheduled, when amendments are filed, and when the order is about to expire. They can also register to be notified by phone when an order is served or of a change in the status of the order. Live operators are also available for information or assistance. The service is free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Every year in DuPage County more than 2,400 victims are granted orders of protection against their alleged abusers,” said DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba. “As soon as an individual is served with an order of protection, the offender knows his or her violence is now on record. The risk of receiving repercussion heightens enormously. The fear between the time the order is written and the time it is served can be all consuming.”
VINE Protective Order allows petitioners to take the necessary personal precautions or notify police if the offender violates the terms of the order.
“VINE Protective Order will provide victims with critical information that they can use to make more effective safety plans,” said Amy Milligan, director of advocacy services at Family Shelter Service in DuPage County. “It’s an important tool that will help maximize the effectiveness of the remedies an order of protection provides.”
Zaruba added, “I hope that every victim of domestic abuse realizes that while taking out an order of protection is the first step in protecting themselves, they also need to take the second step and register with VINE Protective Order to make sure they know when the order is served.”
Appriss provides innovative technology solutions that help governments serve and protect their citizens. Its flagship product, VINE®, the National Victim Notification Network, serves more than 1,500 communities in 40 states. In addition to VINE, Appriss has worked with a team led by AT&T Government Solutions Inc. to provide automated notification services to victims of Federal crimes through the U.S. Department of Justice.
Other innovative products and services include JusticeXchange™, the nation’s leading solution for connecting criminal justice agencies; and Alertxpress®, a high speed notification service for government agencies.