Family Violence Indicator: Emergency Protective Orders Issued against Family or Household Members

This indicator reflects the number of emergency protective orders issued against family or household members for acts of family abuse involving violence, force, or threat. This indicator is presented as a rate per 1,000 persons within the population age 18 and older, for each year, in each locality. The number of emergency protective orders (EPO) issued against family or household members, by locality and calendar year, is expressed as a rate per 1,000 adults.

Source: Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia

*Data maps show the most recent year of data available.

Notes:

These data reflect the number of family abuse emergency protective orders (EPOs) issued by Virginia magistrates against family or household members. Family abuse is defined in § 16.1-228 of the Code of Virginia as “any act involving violence, force, or threat that results in bodily injury or places one in reasonable apprehension of death, sexual assault, or bodily injury and that is committed by a person against such person’s family or household member. Such act includes, but is not limited to, any forceful detention, stalking, criminal sexual assault in violation of Article 7 (§ 18.2-61 et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 18.2, or any criminal offense that results in bodily injury or places one in reasonable apprehension of death, sexual assault, or bodily injury.”

A family abuse EPO is a legal restraint issued to protect a person from family abuse, and generally expires at 11:59 p.m. on the third day following issuance. Family and household members of the allegedly abused person may also be protected through a family abuse EPO. Data on family abuse EPOs are from the eMagistrate System, a system designed to facilitate and record magistrates’ issuance of processes. A family abuse EPO is issued at the request of the allegedly abused person or a law enforcement officer.

Bedford City was reincorporated into Bedford County in 2013. Bedford City will show as NA or blank from 2014 on and that data will now be captured under Bedford County.

Additional information about indicator data and data limitations can be found at: http://www.fact.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Data-Guide.pdf

Data Last Updated: October 2, 2018