Section 50B-5(a) provides that the victim of domestic violence may ask for the assistance of local law enforcement personnel. However, response time need only be “as soon as practicable” and multiple complaints from the same caller made within a forty-eight hour period need not be responded to if the agency has reasonable cause to believe that immediate assistance is not needed.
When the officer does respond, he is entitled to take whatever steps are reasonably necessary to protect the complainant from harm. The officer is also authorized to give advice regarding services providing shelter, counseling, medical care and other necessaries. He may also transport the complainant to appropriate facilities and help the individual remove personal property from the residence to enable him or her to subsist during the absence from the home. In some counties, the officer will not act pursuant to the latter authorization without the directive appearing in an ex parte order.
