Rule 1955.Enforcement.

When a defendant violates any provision of a protection order or agreement, the plaintiff may file a private criminal complaint alleging indirect criminal contempt. The complaint may go to the court, the Office of the District Attorney, or the magisterial district judge in the jurisdiction or county where the violation occurred. In a county of the first class, it may be filed only with the Family Division of the Court of Common Pleas or the Office of the District Attorney. The Official Note cites 42 Pa.C.S. § 62A13.

The plaintiff’s complaint is one route among several. Under Rule 1952(b), a contempt action may be filed in and heard by the court in the county where the order was issued or where the violation occurred. The orders printed in Rule 1959 also tell police that an arrest for violating paragraph 2 or 3 of the order may be made without a warrant, based solely on probable cause, and that the police officer, the sheriff or the plaintiff may complete the contempt complaint, without the plaintiff’s presence or signature.