Tips for staying safe once the Injunction for Protection is in place:

• Immediately report each and every violation of the restraining order.
• Keep your Protection Order document with you at all times and give a copy to your children's schools.
• Change the locks on the doors, replace any weak doors (metal doors are better than wood) and reinforce sliding glass doors by installing a lock or placing a piece of wood in the track.
• Add interior window locks so that windows can't be opened from the outside
• Install a security system or speak to someone at your local hardware store for less expensive alternatives; install motion-sensitive lighting outside your home
• Plan an emergency escape route from all areas of your home, including upstairs, and make sure all family members are aware of the plan.
• Save any threatening emails or voicemail messages.
• Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1. If possible, obtain a cellular telephone and take it with you as you travel to different rooms in your residence, particularly when you go to sleep at night.
• Teach your children how to make a collect call to you or family members in case they are abducted. Tell your children not to unlock the door if the respondent tries to get into your home

• Include family pets or other animals in your safety and escape plans. Animals are often targeted (threatened with harm, cruelly injured, or killed) by a batterer or stalker as a means of controlling, terrorizing or punishing human victims. If it is not safe for you to remain at home, it is likely not safe for your animals, either.
• Make sure your friends are informed of your situation and if possible, create a signal to let them know if you are in danger.
• Ask your neighbors to call the police if they see the abuser at your house; make a signal for them to call the police, for example, if the phone rings twice, a shade is pulled down or a light is on.
• Inform your employer and supervisor of the existence of the restraining order and of any concerns you may have for your safety at your place of employment.
• Leave work in the company of at least one other co-worker.
• Park in an area that is well lighted and/or where there are other people around.
• Keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.
• Always keep a minimum of a half tank of gas in your car.
• Change any routines (i.e. stopping at a particular store on the way to or from work).
• Alter your route to and from work.
• Use different grocery stores and shopping malls; regularly change the hours you shop to avoid detection of a routine.
• Avoid alcohol and/or drugs as they can affect your ability to react quickly and make rational decisions.
• Avoid walking in unlighted or isolated areas.
• If you are being followed while driving or riding in a vehicle, proceed to the nearest police station or look for a police officer - do not drive home.
• Try to stay away from places that the abuser frequents.
• If you have a "gut feeling" that something isn't right, don't second guess the feeling - go with it.