Kane to start issuing Hope Cards for residents with protective orders

Kane County residents who have plenary orders of protection will be able to have Hope Cards starting Monday, April 28, intended to make it easier to report violations, officials announced in a news release.

Hope Cards are free and will be available in Room 007 of the Kane County Judicial Center, 37W777 Illinois Route 38, St. Charles.

House Bill 3485 empowered the Illinois Supreme Court to implement the program, which began Jan. 1, 2022. It is being gradually rolled out among Illinois counties.

Five counties – DeKalb, DuPage, Jefferson, Grundy and Madison – began issuing the cards last year.

Now Kane County joins McHenry, Winnebago, Marion and Coles counties in this latest expansion.

Circuit Clerk Theresa Barreiro said the term “plenary” means a judge issues the orders of protection that can last up to two years for the person seeking safety.

The petitioner needs to be in present in court to get the order, and the accused person is notified about the hearing, but can choose whether to show up, Barreiro said. If they do not, the order of protection is granted.

The Hope Card is white and laminated with all the information of the person who is being protected and who is not allowed to have contact with them, she said.

The protected person can present the card to law enforcement when reporting a violation of an order of protection or other related crimes, without having to present the actual court documents.

“The Hope card’s purpose is to make it easier for victims and survivors of domestic violence to have an accessible card with the pertinent information for law enforcement readily at their fingertips,” Barreiro said in the release.

Chief Judge Robert Villa praised the initiative.

“A Hope Card provides a party the opportunity to seek enforcement of a court order without relying upon cumbersome paperwork,” Villa said in the release. “We appreciate all such efforts to make enforcing a court order more efficient.”

The card lists the case number, the names of the petitioner and other people protected under the order of protection, as well as the name of the respondent and whether he or she has specific firearm restrictions.

Law enforcement still must verify the Hope Card information through the Illinois Law Enforcement Agencies Data System.

Illinois is one of nine states that have created Hope Card programs. More state legislatures are considering doing so, according to the release.