The state's current system of serving protection-from-abuse orders is unique from other states in that it allows the abused party to serve the abuser with an order - a situation questioned by City Councilman Bill Green. But it is an option that some victims may prefer, advocates said.

"In some situations, service of a PFA by a police officer . . . may in fact increase the safety risks to a victim" by escalating a situation, testified Nicole Lindemyer, counsel for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Advocates agree that a domestic-violence victim is the best judge of what course of action to take.

"We must leave that decision to the plaintiff," said Susan Pearlstein, supervising attorney for Philadelphia Legal Assistance.

Of the 14,000 emergency protection-from-abuse orders issued in the city each year, only about half are served by police officers, said Lt. Francis T. Healy, a Philadelphia police lawyer and special adviser to Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey.

Victims can either call 911 or go to a police station to have the order served, Healy said.

Green questioned why an order couldn't be automatically transmitted electronically from Family Court to police, meaning the victim would not have to be involved.

Healy said police gain valuable information by interviewing the victim face-to-face, including logistics of the home, family relationships and children, and the nature of the abuser. The Council's Committee on Public Safety, chaired by Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, has played a central role in reforming the city's process, including the formation of a citywide domestic-violence task force under Mayor John F. Street.

That task force, with members from the Police Department, the District Attorney's Office, probation, Family Court, and the advocacy community, has created a consolidated hotline, as well as a new and larger shelter, said Carol E. Tracy, executive director of the Women's Law Project.

Today's hearing concluded with all groups promising to meet again to streamline the process. At the top of their agenda will be the creation of a central intake center near the courthouse, according to Green's office.