Bucks County has seen a dramatic 95 percent increase in Protection from Abuse (PFA) order applications over the past decade.
Prothonotary Coleen Christian, a Republican, reported the surge during the county commissioners last Wednesday.
The elected row officer stated that PFA filings rose from 575 in 2014 to a record-breaking 1,122 in 2023.
“Last year, we had a record breaking year at 1,122 protection from abuse orders. And this year, we’re on track to sadly beat that,” Christian said. “We are already at 887 applications and orders filed.”
To address the rising demand, the county has launched an online PFA application system accessible via smartphone, tablet, or computer. The new system aims to streamline the process for those seeking protection.
“We now have a QR code that you may see posted in the county that will take you directly to the online application,” Christian explained. “And if you’ve never seen one of these applications before, the way that it used to be done, and still can be done is pages and pages of handwritten paper. And now we have streamlined all of that for our more technological age.”
The prothonotary’s office has shared information about the new system with district courts, state representatives, and every police department in the county to ensure widespread access.
Christian pointed to the importance of making the PFA process more efficient and accessible, given the sensitive nature of these cases.
“When I first started going to PFA court, which is held every Wednesday, and then we have emergency hearings almost every day, you know, to protect, you know, women, children, the elderly, it kind of broke my heart when I first started going to just see the fear, the anxiety, to sense the tension that was up there,” she said.
The county has also strengthened its partnership with A Woman’s Place, the nonprofit organization focused on domestic violence.
Volunteers from the group are now present in the courthouse hallway almost daily to assist residents with completing their paperwork, Christian said.
Additionally, the Bucks County Bar Association provides weekly support, and therapy dogs are available to comfort children involved in PFA cases, according to the prothonotary.
Christian said the commissioner’s IT department have worked with her office, and the sheriff’s office had added security during PFA court days.
Despite the challenges caused by the increasing number of PFA applications, Christian shared optimism about the response.
“Now that I spend more time there, instead of seeing the sadness, I see women who are fearful standing up for themselves and for their children,” she said. “I see volunteers from the Area Agency on Ageing standing up for our elders who are being abused. I see volunteers who are fighting it out in the trenches.”
The commissioners thanked the prothonotary and her office for its efforts to improve the PFA process.
“I think it’s been almost exactly 50 years since the federal government passed a law preventing abuse. And so, I’m sorry to say it’s still here, but it’s great to have you involved in it,” Commissioners Chairperson Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat, said to Christian.
Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo, a Republican, also commended the work being done to improve the PFA process.
October has been declared Domestic Violence Awareness Month by Congress.
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