Personal Protection Orders         HOME

     A Personal Protection Order (PPO) is an order signed by a Circuit Court Judge that forbids or requires a person to do something.

     The person obtaining the PPO is the 'Petitioner' and the person against whom the PPO is filed is the 'Respondent'.

     A PPO may order the Respondent not to:

- Enter your property

- Assault, attack, beat or wound you

- Threaten to kill or physically harm you

- Remove children from you IF you have court-ordered custody

Interfere at your place of employment

- Interfere with your efforts to removeyour children or personal property

- Contact you by telephone

Send you mail (including electronic mail)

- Purchase or possess a firearm

  To be eligible to obtain a PPO, you must establish that there is reasonable cause to believe that the Respondent will commit one or more of the above behaviors.

Penalties for violating a PPO:

- Maximum 93 days in jail and/or

- Maximum $500 fine

                                                                    Two Types of PPOs

Restraining PPO

(For victims of dating or domestic violence)

To qualify for a Restraining PPO you MUST establish one of the following relationships with the respondent:

- Current or former spouse

- Current or former dating relationship

-Reside or resided in the same household

- A child in common

Stalking PPO

(For victims of stalking)

To qualify for a Stalking PPO, you are not required to show a relationship with the Respondent. Instead, you must establish that the Respondent has shown:

(a) A a pattern of behavior

(b) including at least two separate stalking incidents

(c) that would cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized, threatened, frightened, intimidated, harassed or molested

(d) and that the incidents actually did cause the Petitioner to feel terrorized, threatened, frightened, intimidated, harassed or molested.

If you do not meet these requirements, you still may be eligible for a Peace Bond, which is available at the District Court Clerk's office. Peace Bonds are often used for neighbor and non-violent family disputes not covered by the PPO law.

If you have questions or need assistance, you may call or visit the PPO Coordinator Office at the Grady Porter Building, Kalamazoo at Townsend in Lansing, telephone 483-6545.