Hundreds of thousands of traffic violations on file at Fort Worth's municipal court would be purged through a legal maneuver being recommended by court officials in an effort to clear a clogged computer system.
Altogether, 670,000 cases dating from 1994 to 2005 would be removed from the court's docket as part of "an administrative close," Municipal Court Director Deidra Emerson told an ad-hoc committee of City Council members and court officials assembled Tuesday to discuss the court problems."It would allow us more efficient operations ... to use our resources better and reduce the cost and liability of memory requirements," Emerson said.Last month, the Star-Telegram reported that the city's court docket was jammed with tens of thousands of cases, some nearly two decades old, because of a troubled computer system called CourtView. An independent audit of the computer system completed earlier this year found that the system is sluggish and unable to keep up with the flood of new traffic cases, leaving many older cases in "virtual limbo." The audit also found that court employees are frustrated with the system, which doesn't always account for financial transactions.What's more, the city is losing out on millions of dollars in uncollected fines from traffic and other lesser violations handled by the municipal court, as cases drag out for years. Uncollected code compliance violations, for example, total $8 million, city records showed.Mayor Betsy Price has issued a directive to city officials to address the court's problems."It needs some work," Price told the Star-Telegram on Tuesday in her office at City Hall. "If you just ignore it, it's not going to get any better."A number of city departments play a role in court operations, she said. The court depends on clerks, technologists, prosecutors, judges, police and code compliance officers who issue the citations."Now, they've got a directive," she said. "The message to all [city] departments is we're all in this together."Price, who is not a member of the ad hoc committee, did not attend Tuesday's meeting.Municipal court cases listed for "administrative close" had to meet certain legal criteria to qualify for removal from the docket, she explained.Cases must be seven years old or older and have had no activity for the past two years, she said. In some of those cases, the officers who issued the citation no longer work for the city, Emerson said.Other municipalities have used the legal maneuver to clean up their case files and improve document flow. Such action must be approved by a court judge. Emerson said her recommendation has been discussed with the court's chief judge and city prosecutors.Court officials say they are using data from the independent audit to determine whether to upgrade the city's case management system, known as CourtView, or seek a new vendor.The city will decide whether to issue a new request for a proposal to replace CourtView early next year, officials said.Emerson's Tuesday presentation to the committee will likely be repeated to the City Council, officials said."I know we have issues with our case management system," Councilman Sal Espino told the committee members. But, he added, "I'm very excited about future projects."Yamil Berard, 817-390-7705Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
