SOS Inc. has always had a hefty workload in terms of serving the local community and now it has an additional responsibility handed down from Lyon County District Court.
Mary Halleran of SOS, a recent guest of KVOE’s Talk of Emporia, says the court has tasked SOS with reviewing the various protection order requests that come through the court on a regular basis. This is a shift back to pre-COVID procedures after an online portal was created to handle the review process.
Halleran says the main purpose of the review process is to bypass any and all “non-legitimate” requests that may come through the court. She adds they are also there to assess whether or not filing for a protection order is in the best interest of an individual.
SOS Advocate Cherie Crisp tells KVOE News there are two forms of protection orders PFA (Protection from Abuse) and PFS (Protection from Stalking, Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking).
Crisp says both orders have their own set of criteria that must be met for the order to be granted. In the case of PFA orders, there must be an intimate relationship between the filer and their abuser whereas with PFS orders no intimate relationship is needed, however, the filer must have proof of at least two incidents.
Crisp says it is also important to note that contrary to some beliefs, a protection order does not mean a victim and abuser can never be in the same area at the same time.
While protection orders are issued for civil matters, violation of one carries criminal charges and can result in various penalties including significant jail time and fines.
For more information visit SOSKansas.com.
