Posts
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2013
|
|
District Court now offers self-scheduling for infraction hearings
|
|
|
|
People who need to schedule infraction hearings with Pierce County District Court can now do so
online without having to wait on the phone or at the public counter.
Developed by
District Court with support from Pierce County’s Information Technology
Department, this application allows people to schedule an infraction
hearing or submit a Hearing by Mail statement at their
convenience. Previously, customers could schedule a hearing only by
mail, telephone or by appearing in person at the court’s public counter.
During a soft launch over the past month, 80 people have used the new
service.
Besides the
convenience for the public, the online system also is expected to reduce
the substantial traffic at the court's public counter, over the phone
and through the mail. In 2012, there were 58,000 infraction
citations filed in District Court. Of those, 16,000 resulted in
in-court hearings and 6,000 in Hearings by Mail. In addition, the court
fielded 81,000 telephone inquiries from citizens, attorneys and other
court customers.
“Pierce County
District Court is very pleased to offer this new way of doing business
that makes it easier to access the court’s services. This will benefit
everyone involved - the public, the county and the
court,” said Presiding Judge Maggie Ross.
District Court is
the first court of limited jurisdiction in Washington State - and one of
the only courts of limited jurisdiction in the country - to introduce
this convenient self-scheduling service.
"Our IT staff is
constantly striving to help improve the delivery of services in ways
that are customer friendly and efficient," said Pierce County
Information Technology Director Linda Gerull. "Giving people
the ability to self-schedule their interaction with the court is a
great step forward and helps set the bar for other jurisdictions."
The self-scheduler
is one of two new online features on the District Court's website. The
other is an option to reach the court's customer service staff via an
online "Live Chat." Since early January, more
than 1,200 people have been served via Live Chat as an alternative to
waiting to contact a court representative over the phone or at the
public counter.
Public reaction to
these innovations has been very positive. As one customer expressed it
via email: “Please let the 'higher-ups' know how great this option is!
... This is a GREAT alternative. ...Not to mention
much more efficient!”
District Court can be found at www.piercecountywa.org/distcrt
|
|
MEDIA CONTACT:
Chuck Ramey, District Court administrator
|
|
|
