Iowa is relaunching a notification system for victims of domestic violence after a seven-year absence, state Attorney General Brenna Bird says.
The system in question, the IowaVINE Protective Order Notification System, allows individuals who obtain protective orders against their abusers to receive notice when the order is served and again 30 days before it is due to expire.
Although the notifications are mandated by state law, a previous iteration of the system, known as IPONDA ― Iowa Protective Order Notification for Domestic Abuse ― was discontinued in 2019 amid technical and data accuracy problems.
Bird, who took office in 2023, has been working for years to restart the system. On Monday, April 20, her office formally relaunched it for all Iowans.
“Knowledge is power,” Bird said in a statement. “Through the IowaVINE Protective Order Notification system, victims can be armed with information on the status of a protective order against their abuser.”
Research has shown domestic violence victims are most at risk when trying to leave their partners, such as by obtaining protective orders. Notification when an order is served can help victims know when their abusers might be at their most dangerous and prepare them to protect themselves or summon aid if the order is violated.
How IowaVINE notification system works
The notification system expands the existing Iowa Victim Information & Notification Everyday, or IowaVINE, service, which provides free and confidential information about offenders’ custody status and protective order information.
Using the newly announced capabilities, victims can register to receive automated notification by telephone, internet or email 24/7. A live operator also is always available by telephone. To search for an offender, go to vinelink.vineapps.com/search/IA/Person.
IowaVINE will not notify victims when an incarcerated offender has a parole hearing or decision. Victims can sign up for that notification separately through the Iowa Department of Corrections Office of Victim Programs at 800-778-1182.
Notification project three years in the making
The project to restart notifications grew from a “top down and bottom up audit” of victim services Bird announced upon taking office. In 2024, it confirmed it was working with an outside vendor to reboot the program.
Jen Green, a spokeswoman for Bird’s office, said the state is paying a $138,000 one-time startup fee and $200,000 per year for the service going forward.
“Serving victims is one of the main reasons why I ran for Attorney General,” Bird said in a statement. “And it is why on day one, I set out to make real changes to ensure victims receive the justice and support they deserve. I am so glad to announce this notification system is fixed and up and running well.”
Current and former officials have declined to give details of the problems that led the state to discontinue notifications in 2019. But Janelle Melohn, who led the attorney general’s crime victim assistance division at the time, told the Register in 2024 that maintaining the system is a daunting challenge, reliant on getting prompt and accurate data from more than 250 law enforcement agencies, 99 county attorneys and various judicial branch systems.
“Prompt, accurate notice is vital. I commend the (Iowa Attorney General’s Office) and State Court Administrator’s Office if they have found a way to ensure that all of these moving pieces can be culled from Iowa’s systems, resulting in consistent, accurate and timely notifications to victims,” Melohn told the Register.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa relaunches victim notification system discontinued in 2019
Reporting by William Morris, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
