How is the defendant served?
The defendant must be served within one year after the Order of Protection or the Injunction Against Harassment is issued by the Court. You may use a private process server or the local police department to serve the defendant. Some police departments will only serve Orders of Protection and not Injunctions Against Harassment. If you use a private process server, you are responsible for delivering the defendant’s copy of the order to the process server and for paying the service fee and mileage. If you do not know where the defendant is, or do not have an accurate address, you should keep the certified copy of the order. As soon as you learn where the defendant is, you can contact a private process server or the police, so that they may attempt to serve the defendant. The order must be served within one (1) year of being issued. If the defendant is in jail, the police will serve the order on the defendant. In an emergency situation, call 9-1-1. Any police officer can serve your order,
