Circuit Court asks county to add clerk as personal-protection-order filings surge

Circuit court staff told the Oakland County Board of Commissioners that filings for personal protection orders (PPOs) have climbed sharply and that additional administrative support is needed to meet timing requirements and avoid late-day processing bottlenecks.

"Back in 2019 we had 2,582 filings ... last year we had 3,045 and we are projected as so far this year with the first half of the year to be somewhere around 3,800 at the end of this year," said Chris Bjack, the circuit and probate court business manager. She said the office treats PPOs as time-sensitive public-safety matters and often must process requests the same day.

Commissioners asked whether the requested position would be limited to PPO work and how it would affect judges' workloads. Staff said the Office Support Clerk Senior would focus on PPOs and should reduce late-day rushes to chambers and allow judges to receive materials earlier in the day; staff also noted the county has used visiting judges and grant-funded resources to stretch judicial capacity.

Commissioners emphasized statutory timing: staff and commissioners discussed that PPO-related filings must be handled within 24 hours, reinforcing the need for dedicated clerical support.

The board voted to approve the position by voice vote: recorded as seven yays and zero nays; the motion carried.