Published Sunday, December 1, 2002
court's camera
By Sherris Moreira-Byers
Herald Staff Writer
Suspects in Mercer County now have the chance to be on television, but not necessarily "America's Most Wanted."
A state grant has provided the money to create a video arraignment program and after almost two months in operation, all parties involved consider it a prime-time hit.
Video and audio equipment has been set up at four of the five county district justices as well as at the Shenango Valley and Greenville lock-ups and the Mercer County Courthouse. The purpose is to make it easier for local police to have suspects arraigned, especially on the weekends when a single district justice is on call.
"The biggest feature is that there is not a lot of traveling with the prisoners," said Jason Koch, regional system administrator with the Mercer County Regional Council of Governments. COG sponsored the county-wide project after receiving a $50,000 grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
"The time that it takes for an officer to get to a district court with a prisoner can be saved and the officers can get back out on the street quicker," Koch said, adding that COG, the county and the local communities have been working on this project since 1999.
"It's nice not to send an officer out to another part of the county. It will be real nice to keep that extra car in our area," said Sgt. William Hite of Southwest Mercer County Regional police, who took part in a mock demonstration of the video equipment between District Justice William L. Fagley's office in Greenville and the Shenango Valley lock-up.
Since its inception about eight weeks ago, there have been approximately 12 to 17 video arraignments done each weekend.
Mercer County Court Administrator Pete Morin said the system will save money and time transporting prisoners and suspects being housed in other county jails or state prisons. "A lot of state correctional facilities have these in place. By doing some hearings this way, it will prevent the sheriff from making so many trips," Morin said. "It may help cut down on transportation costs."
Morin said video cables will run to all the courtrooms in the courthouse so the equipment can be hooked up wherever it is needed.
"If an attorney can use this to speak to his client who is, for example in jail, the case could get through the system more quickly. Or having people testify from a remote location, for example a doctor who is an expert for a particular case," Morin said. "It could cut down on court time." He added that they have successfully tested their system with correctional facilities as far away as Philadelphia.
"I think there's all kind of possibilities," said Fagley. "It opens up a lot of doors."
The only district justice that doesn't have video arraignment capabilities is District Justice Lawrence Silvis in Worth Township.
That's because there is no high speed phone line service in that area to handle the video arraignment technology, said Koch. But Morin said that once a new microwave communication system is hooked up next year in the county, Silvis' court will be connected.
According to James DeCapua, executive director of COG, the video arraignment system is part of a "two-prong project."
A computerized "warrants and wanted" program is in the works for participating COG-member departments, he said. "There are warrants issued that each of the district justices issue as well as bench warrants," DeCapua said. "We're going to be computing the entire warrant system. That will cut down on re-arresting anyone on an old warrant that was already satisfied."
He said that the program is ready to go on their end but they're waiting for the county judges to approve the form to be placed in the software.
Morin said that if Sharon decides to re-open their lockup, he would like to approach them about being part of the video arraignment program, though DeCapua said that COG didn't have money left for them.
Between the video arraignment system and the warrants program, the total cost of the court improvements is $74,000. A $24,000 local match and the DCED grant will cover the cost.