Protection from Abuse program in Montgomery County improved with cards, online access
Noah Marlier, the Montgomery County Prothonotary, was a guest at the Upper Dublin Township Board of Commissioners Meeting in August to discuss the Hope Card Program.
Marlier, who described his role as not dealing with criminal matters, said most people aren’t sure what he does for the county. Marlier is serving his second term in this elected position.
“My office is where you file civil legal papers with the county,” said Marlier. “Nine out of 10 folks, they hear ‘prothonotary’ and they go ‘what the heck is that. And one out of 10 on the street says ‘I got divorced there.’”
In addition to divorce, lawsuits on civil matters also go through his office. Landlord/Tenant appeals, such as over evictions, name changes, custody agreements, and liens also operate via the prothonotary.
“One of our specific departments is our Protection from Abuse Department (PFA),” said Marlier. “You might know PFAs as restraining orders, because in California they are called restraining orders. Most of our movies are made in Hollywood. So, in the movies, they’re called restraining orders, but in a number of states, including Pennsylvania, they’re called protection from abuse. It’s the same thing.”
“That situation can be very daunting,” explained the prothonotary. With multiple steps and processes around the PFA, he said it can be a difficult time for all involved. “Oftentimes it is women. Oftentimes it is women with children. Sometimes those women have bruises fresh on their face.”
He said that, while men, same-sex partners, and elderly also file for PFAs, the majority of cases are women who must travel to his offices in Norristown multiple times to allow for the accused to be presented with a “day in court.”
“That process shouldn’t be as daunting, and as scary, and as intimidating as it has been,” he said. “I’m trying to create ways to alleviate some of that concern, that fear, and how stressful, how long that situation can be.”
The Hope Card initiative came about after speaking to a colleague in Plymouth Township, according to Marlier. He said, when the order has to be sent, which it does by law, you can also send with it a “Hope Card.”
“What the Hope Card is, is pertinent information from the PFA order,” said Marlier. “But it’s reduced down to a size that is much more manageable.”
Marlier held up a stapled, 8.5x11-inch bundle of papers in his left hand, while demonstrating the small, credit card-sized Hope Card in his right.
“Every time I send out an order to a survivor of domestic violence, my office also sends this Hope Card,” he said. The card itself, he explained, shows the plaintiff, defendant, the “PFAB” or state number in the database,
“So, if your police officers, if they have someone come up to them here in Upper Dublin and says ‘Hey, listen, I’ve got a PFA against my ex-boyfriend. He’s stalking me. He’s following me. I’ve got a protection from abuse,’” said the prothonotary. “They can pull out their Hope Card and this will help the police because it has that number that they need to look up all the information that they need.”
Marlier said he worked with the county’s District Attorney Kevin Steele to launch the program and has also met with the area police chiefs to brief them on the cards.
“My hope is that all of the police all across this county know that domestic violence survivors may have this Hope Card on them,” said Marlier.
The backs of the cards include resources, such as the Women’s Center, Laurel House, the Montgomery County Bar Association, and lawyer referral services.
“It has resources for these survivors, as well,” said Marlier. “And I think this is really important because, as a former district attorney, and as a prothonotary, I know that survivors oftentimes aren’t going to carry around this [large-form PFA] document on their person. They’re going to keep it in their glove compartment maybe. They’re going to keep it at home. They’re going to keep it in a lock box. But they definitely can keep a Hope Card in their purse, in wallet, right in their pocket: much more accessible, and hopefully gives them a little more sense of security.”
The first program of its kind in Pennsylvania, Marlier said that Hope Cards began to circulate in February of this year. Additionally, Marlier said he continues to hone the process for PFAs with an online PFA packet.
He said that, prior to February’s start of the online packet, victims of abuse were forced to come to Norristown in person, fill out a packet, spend five to six hours in court, sometimes with children, to begin the process. Now victims can use the forms from any location with Internet service. While the victim will still need to present the documents in-person at his Norristown office, the packet being on the web shaves around two hours off of the time required.
“It’s shaving off an hour, hour-and-a-half, two hours,” he said. “If we can make it a little less burdensome, that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Marlier said that Montgomery County will only be the second in Pennsylvania to adapt the online forms, as Allegheny County was the only other to apply the web-based start-up.
He said these are small steps he can take now, that can help improve the process for those throughout the county.
“I’m a big believer. I know that you are all believers in this,” said Marlier. “As elected officials, you wake up every single day, and you ask yourself one question: ‘How am I going to help people that need help the most?’ I know all of you do that for Upper Dublin. I’m trying to do that for this county. And these are just two examples of that.”
While the commissioners had no questions on the presentation, Ward 1 Commissioner Harm J. Scherpbier did thank the prothonotary for his work on the matter.
“Thank you for your incredible work as prothonotary with this particular program, protecting our residents,” said Scherpbier. “Fantastic.”
Ward 3 Commissioner Gary V. Scarpello echoed the sentiment.
“No questions. Good work,” he said.
