By G.W. Schulz
Going through a messy divorce? Haunted by a serial stalker? If a former spouse, or love interest, or co-worker has become your harasser, we’re here to protect you. Norwood.Law will use every means available to help ensure your safety.
The numbers for domestic abuse in Oklahoma are eye-opening. According to the Violence Policy Center, Oklahoma ranks near the top nationally in the number of women killed by men. Three-fourths of the women killed by men in Oklahoma during 2020 knew the person who killed them. Between 1996 and 2000, over 45,000 females were murdered by males nationally. Said the Violence Policy Center in 2023:
“Violence against women is a significant public-health issue with concerning upward trends in recent homicide rates. Findings from the past 25 years … have consistently shown that women are most at risk from men they know.”
What behaviors can lead to a protective order? The list includes stalking, rape, assault and battery, kidnapping, and forcible sodomy. What can a protective order specifically accomplish? According to Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, they can:
- Tell the abuser to leave and stay away from your family, work place, and home.
- Instruct the abuser not to contact you through phone, mail, or other people.
- Direct the abuser to stay away from the children, school, day care, and babysitter.
- Enable you to request that the abuser turn over their weapon.
- If you have a protective order, police are likely to take your calls more seriously.
- The abuser can be arrested and put in jail if they violate a protective order.
- Easier to get a police escort for retrieving your personal belongings from home.
- Helps protect you at your work.
Need to know more? Keep reading.
Meanwhile, are you tied up in a legal dispute? Are you being charged with a crime? If the answer is yes, recruit Norwood.Law to tell your side of the story and be your advocate. We practice family, personal injury, criminal defense, estates, business law, and more. When it’s time to turn to us for help, visit Norwood.Law online or call us for a free consultation at 918-582-6464.
Below is a list of things you’ll want to be aware of about obtaining a protective order in Tulsa and Oklahoma to keep an abuser or stalker away. It was compiled with help from the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, the Tulsa County Court Clerk, and Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma. You can find the necessary forms for obtaining a protective order here. Further protection and assistance is available from the Tulsa Family Safety Center located at 600 Civic Center.
- There is no cost for seeking an emergency protective order.
- It will not decide the custody of your children.
- Have paperwork completed at the Family Safety Center by 3:30 pm to see a judge that day.
- Only the victim is allowed into the Family Safety Center.
- You or the person you are filing against are required to live in Tulsa County, or the incident must have taken place in Tulsa County.
- To obtain a request, you must have filed a complaint with law enforcement. You also must have been subjected to harassment, stalking, physical harm, or the threat of physical harm.
- The order would not go into effect until it was delivered to the defendant.
- According to the sheriff’s office: “If the defendant comes around you, call 911 and have an officer come to your location. As long as you have a copy of the petition and the emergency protective order, they can serve your copy to the defendant.”
- List of offender types includes spouse, former spouse, immediate family, people you previously dated, current or former roommates, caregivers, and unwed fathers and mothers.
- A protective order is designed to prevent future harassment or violence. It is not intended as a punishment. But the abuser can be arrested for violating the order.
A few more things to know. Gather as much personal information as possible about the person from whom you are seeking protection. Also, be aware that the protective order must be delivered by a law enforcer. Withhold signing your paperwork until you are present with someone from the Tulsa County Court Clerk’s office or the Tulsa Family Safety Center. Forms to be completed can be found here.
Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, a nonprofit that assists low-income people, was created in 2001 following the merger of two nonprofits performing the same work. Today, the unified organization has 18 offices around Oklahoma. It offers an additional pointer for protective orders. The forms will need to include a physical description of the abuser, history of incidents, why violence or harassment is likely to happen again, description of the most recent incident, and injuries.
Important contact numbers courtesy of Tulsa County:
- Legal Aid Services: 918-584-3338
- D.V.I.S. 24 Hour Crisis Line: 918-743-5763
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
- Court Clerk Family Department: 918-596-5445
- D.V.I.S. Family Safety Center: 918-742-7480
- Tulsa County Sheriff: 918-596-5667