District of Columbia · Through 2026-08-20 (D.C. Law 26-175)

D.C. Code § 16-1043: Nonjudicial enforcement of order.

(a)
A law enforcement officer, upon determining that there is probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists and that the order has been violated, shall enforce the order as if it were the order of a tribunal of the District. Presentation of a protection order that identifies both the protected individual and the respondent and, on its face, is currently in effect constitutes probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists. For the purposes of this section, the protection order may be inscribed on a tangible medium or may have been stored in an electronic or other medium if it is retrievable in perceivable form. Presentation of a certified copy of a protection order is not required for enforcement.

(b)
If a foreign protection order is not presented, a law enforcement officer may consider other information in determining whether there is probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists.

(c)
Registration or filing of an order in the District is not required for the enforcement of a valid foreign protection order pursuant to this subchapter.

Where this section sits in the code

Title 16. Particular Actions, Proceedings and Matters. [Enacted title]
Chapter 10. Proceedings Regarding Intrafamily Offenses.
Subchapter IV. Interstate Enforcement of Domestic Violence Protection; Uniform Law.

(a)

A law enforcement officer, upon determining that there is probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists and that the order has been violated, shall enforce the order as if it were the order of a tribunal of the District. Presentation of a protection order that identifies both the protected individual and the respondent and, on its face, is currently in effect constitutes probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists. For the purposes of this section, the protection order may be inscribed on a tangible medium or may have been stored in an electronic or other medium if it is retrievable in perceivable form. Presentation of a certified copy of a protection order is not required for enforcement.

(b)

If a foreign protection order is not presented, a law enforcement officer may consider other information in determining whether there is probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists.

(c)

Registration or filing of an order in the District is not required for the enforcement of a valid foreign protection order pursuant to this subchapter.

Collected 2026-08-29T05:44:07Z. Source file · JSON

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