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Mahoning’s DR court gets OSBA award
Mahoning County Domestic Relations Court Judge Beth Smith accepts the Ohio State Bar Association’s Judicial Administration and Legal Reform Committee Innovative Court Practices Award in Columbus on August 28. She is pictured with her court administrator, Donald C. Hepfner and bailiff, Michele Cercel. (Photo courtesy of the Mahoning County Domestic Relations Court) The court received the award because of Judge Smith's CPO Card pilot program in which the information from bulky, multi-page civil protection orders is condensed onto a card that can be carried in one's wallet, helping to ensure that those facing domestic violence never leave home without them.
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: October 9, 2014
It’s a life-saving tool for those facing the threat of domestic violence and now a Mahoning County Domestic Relations Court pilot program is offering a new and convenient way for people to keep their civil protection orders with them at all times.
Devised and implemented by Mahoning County Domestic Relations Court Judge Beth Smith, the CPO Card as it’s called, is about the size of a credit card and contains all the key information found in a multi-page civil protection order.
“Traditional civil protection orders are about five pages long on 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper,” said Smith. “Victims need to keep these orders with them at all times to show to law enforcement in the event they are confronted by their abusers.
“The problem is that these papers get spoiled over time and are hard to carry. The card is an alternative way for survivors to carry the information. It does not replace the orders but it gives survivors a more practical way to keep this information on their persons and quickly present it to law enforcement.”
The CPO Card pilot program is the first such effort in the state. It got underway on February 25, 2014, with at least 84 cards being issued so far.
The idea earned the court the Ohio State Bar Association’s Judicial Administration and Legal Reform Committee Innovative Court Practices Award.
“This is an efficient use of more up-to-date technology,” said Martin E. Mohler, president of the Ohio State Bar Association. “The CPO Card transforms sometimes bulky civil protection orders issued by courts into something readily usable and convenient for a victim of domestic violence.”
“The criteria that we look for when giving this award are creativity, uniqueness/newness of the program, its effectiveness as well as whether it addresses a significant problem in the state and the ability to expand the idea to other courts,” said Marion County Court of Common Pleas Judge Deborah A. Alspach, chair of the Judicial Administration and Legal Reform Committee for the OSBA. The committee accepts nominations for the award and chooses the program that best meets the standards being considered.
“The CPO card allows five pages of information from a civil protection order to be condensed onto a card that is inexpensive to create and cuts down on the risk of people losing the papers,”
said Judge Alspach. “It is much easier to forget to take your paperwork with you than to put this card in your wallet. Having it on the person adds another layer of protection by helping law
enforcement to better enforce such orders.”
While Judge Smith worked to implement the idea, it was Richard Wade, a Volunteer Advocacy Legal Unit member, who first brought the concept to her attention.
“I had read about the program in the newspaper,” said Wade. “Indiana implemented it statewide and when I see things that I think could pertain to the court I always bring them to the judge’s attention.
“Indiana’s program was paid for by large corporate sponsors so we were worried about whether we could afford it in Mahoning County.”
“I never thought we would have the money to do this until I learned that the recorder’s office in Mahoning County was doing something similar with veterans’ cards,” said Judge Smith, who accepted the award together with her court administrator, Donald C. Hepfner and bailiff, Michele Cercel on August 28, 2014 in Columbus.
She said the startup costs were funded through the Domestic Relations Court’s Special Project Fund and the actual cost of each card is about 37 cents, with the annual expense of continuing the program estimated to be about $150 a year.
Judge Smith said there were 816 civil protection order petitions in 2013. As of September 19, 590 petitions had been filed this year.
“Not all of these petitions will be granted,” said Judge Smith. “A full hearing must take place before an actual order is issued.”
“A lot of times, it is very difficult for an officer on the street to verify that a protection order is still in place,” said Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene. “These cards list the identifying characteristics of the person the order is against and a number for the officer to call to verify whether the order is current.
“Any time law enforcement has a new tool to help them identify whether a civil protection order is in effect it is very beneficial.”
“It is possible the concept could be expanded statewide,” said Judge Smith. “I have been receiving calls from courts across the state asking for more details.”