State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > West-virginia > 48 > 48-27-1003§48-27-1003. Nonjudicial enforcement of order.
(a) A law-enforcement officer of this state, upon determining that there is probable cause to believe that a valid protective order exists and that the order has been violated, shall enforce the order pursuant to any authority to arrest under the code. Presentation of a protective order that identifies both the protected individual and the respondent and that appears, on its face, to be authentic and currently in effect constitutes probable cause to believe that a valid protective order exists. For the purposes of this section, the protective 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 protective order is not required for enforcement.
(b) If a protective order is not presented, a law-enforcement officer of this state may consider other credible information in determining whether there is probable cause to believe that a valid protective order exists.
(c) If a law-enforcement officer of this state determines that an otherwise valid protective order cannot be enforced because the respondent has not been notified of or served with the order, the officer shall inform the respondent of the order, make a reasonable effort to serve the order upon the respondent and allow the respondent a reasonable opportunity to comply with the order before enforcing the order.
