Traffic Online Arraignment Date Scheduling - San Mateo Superior Court

Overview/Program Description:

The court developed a web-based application to allow traffic customers the ability to reserve an arraignment date in advance through the court’s website. This solution provides a convenient alternative to the customer having to call or come into the clerk’s office to schedule an arraignment date.

Program Benefits/Savings:

Overall the program has been successful, although the court would like to get to the point where all reservations are made via the online process. Currently, the court still allows customers to call or come in person to make a reservation. Also, the online reservations are not directly scheduled through the case management system (CMS), but rather through an application IT staff developed that interacts with and obtains certain information from the CMS for verification purposes. The reservations are placed in a queue and the clerk's office has to verify additional information and then set the hearing in the CMS. Ultimately, the court would like to modify the process so that everything is done through the CMS.

The number of traffic customers standing in line and the number of customers calling and/or coming to the clerk's office to reserve an arraignment date has been reduced. Additionally, since the arraignment calendars are now prepared a couple of days in advance, instead of the same morning as court, the clerk's office staff has more time in the mornings to assist other customers not appearing in court and to process other priority work. The courtroom also gets through the calendar proceedings faster since courtroom staff do not need to wait for additional information from the clerk's office.

Other Courts Using Similar Programs:

• Los Angeles Superior Court (Reserve a Court Date)
• Orange Superior Court (Traffic/Infraction Reserve a Court Date)
• Placer Superior Court
• San Diego Superior Court (Court Automated Scheduling)