Personal Protection Orders
A Personal Protection Order (PPO) is a Circuit Court injunctive order that helps protect victims of family violence, dating violence, or stalking. A PPO is filed by a petitioner and acts to restrain a respondent from the following:
- contacting the Petitioner through any means
- entering the Petitioner’s residence property or work place
- assaulting, attacking, beating, or wounding the Petitioner
- harassing, stalking, or threatening the Petitioner
- removing any minor children from where they live unless their removal is part of court-ordered visitation
- interfering with the Petitioner’s efforts to remove the children or property
- purchasing or possessing a firearm (you must inform the court if carrying a firearm is a condition of the respondent’s employment)
A “domestic PPO” can be issued to anyone who has been physically, emotionally, or sexually abused by a current or former spouse, family member, domestic partner, the other parent of your child, a current or former roommate, or a current or former person in a dating relationship.
A “stalking PPO” can be issued to anyone who has been repeatedly harassed to the point of being terrorized, intimidated, or threatened.
PPO packets are available at the Isabella County Circuit Court located at 300 N. Main Street, Mt. Pleasant, MI. Once filled out, they are to be returned to the same place. If the petitioner and respondent have been involved in an intimate relationship, assistance in completing the packet is available through the legal advocate at Women’s Aid Service (989) 773-0078.
A PPO can be served to the respondent by anyone over the age of eighteen, excluding the petitioner. This can be done through a process server hired by the petitioner (these can be found in the yellow pages). Another option is a personal service by a friend or relative who has no involvement in the PPO. A third option is to serve the person by mail. Be sure to register the PPO paperwork being sent so that delivery is restricted to the respondent and you receive a receipt stating that the respondent received the order.
The order goes into effect as soon as the judge signs it, but cannot be enforced until the respondent has received notice of the PPO.
If it is an emergency, call 911. Otherwise, call the nearest police department.
The PPO speaks to the respondent’s behavior, not the petitioner. Should the petitioner consent to contact with the respondent, the respondent is still in violation of the PPO. If the petitioner wishes to resume contact with the respondent, action should be taken to modify or set aside the PPO.
This can only be done through the court. If the order is no longer needed, the petitioner or the respondent must file a motion in court to dissolve the order. Otherwise, the order will remain in effect until the date the judge set for it to expire.
Credit: Kalamazoo County and Eaton County