Traffic, Criminal Court Records Available Online In Palm Beach, Fl.
On Oct. 17, the Palm Beach County, Fla., Courthouse placed its criminal and traffic divisions online, eliminating the need for people to wait in line at the courthouse to check criminal court dockets or pay traffic tickets. The new online system, dubbed Banner Courts, is expected to be one of the county’s most popular Web sites, along with the county’s property appraiser Web site and civil Web site.
The Banner Courts system will allow people who have been issued a traffic citation to leverage the power of the Internet to find the charge against them, the amount of the fine, and any court dates. The system will also be beneficial to lawyers, who will be able to access criminal dockets online instead of in person at the courthouse.
Meanwhile, the Florida Association of Court Clerks is building the Comprehensive Case Information System, a system that will allow data from each circuit to be compiled at one site. The system is expected to launch in January, with all of Florida’s 67 counties eventually expected to participate, and users will be able to find any court case across the state.
Financing for the system comes from a state-wide court technology fee that will be paid by each person filing an official record; the fee produces $120 million each year.
Florida also boasts the Judicial Inquiry System, which allows law enforcement, judges, and prosecutors to access data from outside agencies such as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or Department of Motor Vehicles.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel (09/06/05) P. 3B; Stoddard, Missy .
