By Katie McKellar | Senior Reporter
As part of domestic violence awareness month, Utah law enforcers and attorneys want Utahns seeking protective orders to know they aren’t alone.
Police, prosecutors and advocates say help is available, regardless of whether victims want to pursue criminal charges.
In this weekend’s Dispatch, we report on their efforts to help more Utahns access protective orders and bring you our top stories of the week, including what several audits of Utah’s court system found, the Utah House speaker’s reaction to one of those audits, and the debate between Ben McAdams and Riley Owen for Utah’s new 1st Congressional District.
“We may have as many as six different kinds of protective orders in place throughout that process, working with our advocates, working with our counselors, and trying to meet the needs of our victim and survivor. That is something I don’t think most people realize.” — Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill on the many different types of protective orders prosecutors can pursue for victims.
Stewart Ralphs of the Salt Lake Legal Aid Society speaks at a news conference at the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (Courtesy of the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office)
By Annie Knox
The protective order process can be intimidating and requires filing paperwork in the state court system. But for those seeking help from the nonprofit Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake, it can start from the comfort of home with a call with a skilled paralegal, said Stewart Ralphs, the group’s executive director.
The nonprofit represented more than 2,500 people in its domestic violence program last year, and 200 more in a separate domestic relations program.
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