English
EspañolCan you report a violation of a RO anonymously?
Your question is a complicated one so I will try to answer it as best as possible. In terms of reporting a violation of restraining order in civil court, it is something that cannot be done anonymously because the victim would have to file a motion with the court asking the court to acknowledge that the abuser has violated the court order and that it take the steps to try to force the abuser to follow the order and/or punish him/her for the violation.
THIS PARAGRAPH IS NC-SPECIFIC. DELETE IF NOT IN NC: In terms of reporting a violation of restraining order with the magistrate’s office, the victim would have to contact the the magistrate’s office and ask him/her to issue a criminal “warrant” for violating the restraining order which means that it cannot be done anonymously.]
In terms of reporting a violation of a restraining order with law enforcement, I am not sure whether that is something that can be done anonymously. While I believe that someone can call the police and report a crime, I am not sure whether the police would investigate a violation of restraining order if someone tries to report it anonymously. However, because I am not certain of whether one can report a violation of restraining order anonymously with the police, you may want to contact your local law enforcement agency and ask whether that is possible. If you feel uncomfortable calling them, you might want to contact your local domestic violence agency and ask to speak with an advocate. The advocate may be able to find out the answer for you. To locate your local domestic violence agency, please click here: LINK TO STATE AND LOCAL PROGRAMS
Another thing to think about, however, is that for the police to make an arrest, they may have to talk to the victim of the violation – if you are the petitioner (victim) on the order, then they may need to verify the violation with you. If you are a witness to a violation but you are NOT the victim on the order, then one thing to think about is whether the victim wants you to report it or not – if not, perhaps you may want to consider whether it may put her in danger if the police show up at her home trying to investigate the violation. I can’t advise you on what to do – these are just some possible things that you may want to think about.
Also for more information on enforcing a restraining order, please click here:LINK
