(1) In order to provide a statewide registry for protection orders and to aid law enforcement, prosecutors and courts in handling such matters, the Attorney General is authorized to create and administer a Mississippi Protection Order Registry. The Attorney General’s office shall implement policies and procedures governing access to the registry by authorized users, which shall include provisions addressing the confidentiality of any information which may tend to reveal the location or identity of a victim of domestic abuse.

(2) All orders issued pursuant to Sections 93-21-1 through 93-21-29, 97-3-7(11), 97-3-65(6) or 97-3-101(5) will be maintained in the Mississippi Protection Order Registry. It shall be the duty of the clerk of the issuing court to enter all civil and criminal domestic abuse protection orders and all criminal sexual assault protection orders, including any modifications, amendments or dismissals of such orders, into the Mississippi Protection Order Registry within twenty-four (24) hours of issuance with no exceptions for weekends or holidays. A separate copy of any order shall be provided to the sheriff’s department TAC officers of the county of the issuing court. The copy may be provided in electronic format. Each qualifying protection order submitted to the Mississippi Protection Order Registry shall be automatically transmitted to the National Criminal Information Center Protection Order File. Failure of the clerk to enter the order into the registry or to provide a copy of the order to law enforcement shall have no effect on the validity or enforcement of an otherwise valid protection order.

Any information regarding the registration or issuance of a civil or criminal domestic abuse protection order or a criminal sexual assault protection order, or the filing of a petition for a civil domestic abuse protection order which is maintained in the Mississippi Protection Order Registry and would tend to reveal the identity or location of the protected person(s) shall not constitute a public record and shall be exempt from disclosure pursuant to the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983. This information may be disclosed to appropriate law enforcement, prosecutors or courts for protection order enforcement purposes.