What is considered family violence?
Family violence, as defined by Georgia Code 19-13-1, includes certain kinds of crimes between people who have certain relations with each other. These crimes are battery, assault, stalking, damage to property, unlawful restraint, criminal trespass, and any felony. To be considered family, the participants must be connected to each other as past or present spouses, parents of the same child, parents and children, stepparents and stepchildren, or other persons living (or formerly living) under the same roof.
What is considered stalking?
Stalking is characterized by obsessively following, contacting, or observing another person, or an obsessive attempt to engage in any of those activities. This includes following the person to see where they live or learn what they do on a daily basis. It also includes getting someone’s personal information without consent (like looking for details online, in electoral rolls, personal files, or other materials) in order to contact them. In the state of Georgia, stalking is grounds for obtaining a TPO, regardless of relation to the stalker/abuser.
What is domestic standby?
You can request a domestic standby if you need to return to your house to get your things, or if you don’t want to let your abuser into your home to pick up his or her things. A domestic standby is a police officer who makes sure everyone is safe at this time. The police will only allow a limited amount of time for the person to gather personal items, and is not able to be involved in any dispute over property ownership. If you’d like to request a domestic standby, you can call for a City of Clarkston Police Officer at (404) 292-9465.