MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Monongalia and Marion counties are the latest county court systems to begin using the Remote Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program.

The program, demonstrated Tuesday in Morgantown, allows victims of domestic violence to file a protective order remotely from the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center (RDVIC) in Morgantown and HOPE in Marion County.
The steps to file were shown in the courtroom of Monongalia County Circuit Judge Patricia Hill.
“It’s very easy,” Hill said. “It’s my understanding we always initiate the call because sometimes we have domestic violence cases that run late; everybody knows how your courts run.”
State Supreme Court Director of Court Services Lisa Tackett said the state has done remote arraignments for the last 20 years and this is an extension of that concept. Many connectivity and remote meeting lessons learned during the pandemic are applied to this program to allow all parties to interact, show documents and face each other without the tension of an in-person meeting.
“What you see here is that if someone is testifying from the agency, not only can the respondent and the respondent’s attorney see that individual, the judge can see that individual, and there’s the ability to cross-examine the individual,” Tackett said.
Hill told the 15 to 20 people gathered in her courtroom that this will be a big change for women in the future who file protective orders.
“I’ve seen women come in here and being so afraid and shaking,” Hill said. “It is very intimidating, and this is a good way that they can appear and be involved in it but not be intimidated by the person they are accusing of domestic violence.”
Tackett said it not only protects victims from the courtroom setting, but also the walk from the car to the building and back. Many victims begin proceedings in a case and many times fail to follow through for a variety of reasons, including intimidation.
“If you look around this courtroom, it is a very tight space, and for someone who is afraid of someone, this is a very intimidating place,” Tackett said. “You have to park on the street somewhere; you have to come in through the elevators and hallways.”
Tackett said the post-case feedback they’ve received has been very positive, and the system could increase protective order numbers due to the ease and security.
“Ninety-seven percent of the individuals that go through this remote process say they felt less intimidated, safer and it’s the reason why they went ahead and followed through,” Tackett said.
The program is already in use in Cabell, Harrison, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Mason, Ohio, Wayne and Wood counties.