DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Recommendations for “social distancing” and working from home may be helpful to slow the spread of COVID-19, but for those with abusive partners staying at home might not be the safest option. Arizona has several services and programs ready to help, no matter where you’re located in Arizona.

To speak with an advocate 24/7, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-799-7233 for TTY. Or, if you’re unable to speak safely, you can log onto thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 22522.

The Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence operates a helpline and online chat Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. To reach the helpline, call 602-279-2900. To access the online chat, visithttps://www.acesdv.org/helpline/ and click on the chat icon at the bottom right of the page (available only during hours of operation).

AZPOINT, the Arizona Protective Order Initiation and Notification Tool, was designed to help you fill out a petition any of the three types of protective orders in Arizona: an Order of Protection, an Injunction Against Harassment or an Injunction Against Workplace Harassment. The AZPOINT system is an online process that will guide you step-by-step in filling out the forms needed to request one of these orders. AZPOINT will help you figure out whether your request should be for an Order of Protection, Injunction Against Harassment, or an Injunction Against Workplace Harassment based on you relationship to the person against whom you are seeking the order.

The information you enter will be saved in AZPOINT for up to 90 days. At any time during this 90-day period, you may take the next step of filing your petition at an Arizona court. Until you file your petition at a court, you will be able to return to AZPOINT to update your information if necessary.

The AZPOINT online interview requests information about the person requesting an Order of Protection (the Plaintiff) and the person against whom the Order of Protection is requested (the Defendant). Required information (marked by a red * in the system) includes:

Type of relationship between the Plaintiff and Defendant

About the Plaintiff:

• First and Last Name
• Date of Birth
• Contact Telephone Number
• Home Address (this information can be kept confidential)

• First and Last Name
• Date of Birth
• Home Address
• Physical Description (your best guess): Sex, Race, Ethnicity, Height, Weight, Eye Color, Hair Color

• Maternity, paternity, annulment, legal separation, dissolution (divorce), custody (legal decision-making), parenting time, or support

Other information is requested but not required. It includes information about the Defendant’s employment, schedule, vehicle, and access to or ownership of weapons.

After completing the documents in AZPOINT, you must call the court for further instructions. You can file the petition with any superior, justice, or city court; but if you have a pending family court case, you must file with the same superior court where the family court case was filed. Click FindMyCourt for court locations and contact information. Most courts are conducting protective order hearings by telephone or video.

It is recommended that you contact the court directly to see how filings are accepted at this time. Here are some current filing methods that may or may not be used by the court:

• Placing documents in an external drop box
• Emailing documents
• E-filing
• Filing with the Clerk

When contacting the court, make sure to have your petition confirmation number available so court staff can start your case. To find a court location and contact information, visit: https://azcourthelp.org/home/find-my-court.

Children, family members, or certain other people may be included in an Order of Protection if the judge determines it is appropriate under the circumstances.

A protective order DOES NOT determine legal decision-making (custody) and cannot address parenting time issues. These matters must be handled separately in a family court case in Superior Court.

When the court is closed, an Emergency Order of Protection (EOP) may be granted by an authorized judicial officer for a person in “imminent and present danger of domestic violence”. Only a law enforcement officer may make a request for an Emergency Order of Protection. If you need to request an Emergency Order of Protection, contact the non-emergency line of your local law enforcement agency and explain that you need an Emergency Order of Protection. After being requested, the authorized judicial officer may grant the Emergency Order of Protection in writing, verbally, or by telephone.

Unless continued by the court, an Emergency Order of Protection is only valid for 72 hours or until the close of the next judicial business day, whichever is longer.

It is important to contact the court where your petition was filed to know what schedules, deadlines, or hearing procedures might have changed. To find contact information for every court in Arizona visit: https://azcourthelp.org/home/find-my-court