LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Luzerne County President Judge Michael Vough hears cases every day, many of them related to domestic violence.
He says when it happens, most victims don't know where to turn.
"If this is the first time in your life that you've been involved in something like this, what do you do where do you go and how do you get safe?
That's where Luzerne County's safe centers come into play.
There are eight centers located at police stations across the county to help victims file for emergency protection from abuse, or PFA orders, after the courts close.
"So, individuals can go to that location and be in contact with law enforcement and be placed in contact with magisterial district judge that is on duty that can evaluate their case and see if emergency relief is warranted," explained President Judge Michael Vough.
Those emergency orders are valid until the courts reopen. The county recently revamped the guidelines to make sure every case is properly documented.
"Just to make it easier for everyone to understand and to get a handle on our statistics so we know instead of a phone call to the magisterial judge we have a paper trail of all of the individuals that asked for this kind of help," said Judge Vough.
President Judge Vough tells Newswatch 16 on average, the county sees 80 pfa hearings per week.
'We are the second per capita with the amount of PFA's in the state that are filed. Philadelphia then us per capita, we average about 80 per week," said Judge Vough.
Brianna Shadder with the Domestic Violence Service Center in Wilkes-Barre says their hotline has recently seen more calls for emergency PFA's.
Advocates work with the safe centers to help guide victims through the process.
"It gives them that power and control back. Like hey I am making this decision for myself and this is what is best for me," said Brianna Shadder.
For additional resources for those experiencing domestic violence, you can find information here.
Here is a list of police stations in Luzerne County stations that are Safe Centers: