Most police officers see the orders as vaguely written warnings. Some of them believe that unless they witness a violation, they don't think there is much they can do or they don't want to get involved, said Nancy Burnett, a New York lawyer who specializes in domestic violence cases. They'll claim that they have to catch them on the spot. When a New Hampshire judge issues a protective order, the law requires police to drive to the harasser's house and confiscate any guns or deadly weapons they find. Here, police officers are left on their own.
Victims become frustrated, too.
Sometimes, they get discouraged and don't want to go through the court process of hiring a lawyer, filling out more paperwork and missing at least two or three days of work to attend hearings to prosecute a violation. Such behavior is a misdemeanor that is punishable up to a year in prison in Virginia and the District, and up to five years in Maryland. It's a legitimate effort to deal with situations but very difficult to prosecute because of the high burden of proof. Yet the laws and court orders have all the bite of a paper tiger. Stalkers rarely are brought to trial or convicted, court records show.