County inches closer to computerized system to handle arrest warrants

Warren County officials are moving forward on converting the county’s warrants from handwritten forms to an electronic printing system.

Thanks to two computers donated by District Attorney Lisa Zavogiannis, the county’s judicial commissioners may soon be filling out forms on a computer instead of laboriously filling out warrants by hand.

The county’s Policy and Personnel Committee, which has already approved the system, met with judicial commissioners at the jail last week to discuss the conversion process and get input on what is needed to ensure a smooth transition.

Committee chairman Ken Martin asked jail administrative assistant Teresa King to inform the group on the program’s progress. King has been working with M&M Microsystems, the company that installed the software for the jail expansion, which includes the program needed to computerize the warrants.

King says the software offers much flexibility.

‘Whatever we want the forms to look like, they can put in the computers,’ King said. ‘They will work with us on that.’

King did mention some concerns about the way the current warrant forms are designed, since some are two-sided and have to be filled out on the front and back.

‘We have the bond conditions and other things on the back of the arrest warrant,’ King said. ‘And I guess the judge would still want to see that there, because they (the accused) have to sign the bond conditions before they are released. If they refuse to sign the bond conditions, then they’re not released.’

King also noted that some judicial commissioners fill out warrants in other locations, and since the computers are located at the jail they might not be able to do that after the conversion.

In answer to this, Martin said the system wouldn’t necessarily preclude handwritten warrants, but officials would prefer the computer-generated forms for several reasons.

‘I think it’s OK either way, to be honest with you,’ Martin said. ‘But it’s more legible when it’s printed off the computer and there’s less likely to be any language left out that the district attorney needs.’

Martin also pointed out how the system could eventually save judicial commissioners quite a bit of time, as was shown when he visited Coffee County to see its system.

‘It was really simple,’ Martin said. ‘The program came up and the offenses were listed on one side and you clicked on that, then typed in the name and information. I was impressed with how simple it was and how fast it was.’

Some judicial commissioners are concerned about being required to learn to use a computer, but Martin said the software company would provide training and the commissioners would be given sufficient time to learn the program.

‘The man in Coffee County said he was really apprehensive at first,’ Martin said. ‘But now he says he sure wouldn’t want to go back to writing them out anymore.’