Arrest in domestic abuse incidents is mandatory if there is probable cause that a person has violated one of the following?

• A. A domestic abuse restraining order/injunction
• B. A child abuse restraining order/injunction
• C. A harassment restraining order/injunction
• D. A foreign protection order

Answer: (A)

When a domestic violence situation arises, law enforcement must arrest if there is probable cause that the person violated a protective order that is specifically about domestic abuse. A domestic abuse restraining order or injunction creates a direct, enforceable limit on the respondent’s actions toward the protected person within a domestic relationship. If officers have probable cause to believe that limit was breached, they are required to take the suspect into custody. That focus on the domestic context and the violation of the protective order is what makes this option the correct one.

Child abuse restraining orders protect children and are governed by different provisions, so violations aren’t the same mandatory arrest trigger in a domestic context. Harassment restraining orders address harassment but aren’t inherently domestic-violence protections. Foreign protection orders are issued by other jurisdictions; while Wisconsin will enforce them, the specific mandatory arrest duty highlighted in domestic abuse incidents centers on domestic abuse restraining orders.