Los Alamos County Municipal Court staff participate in a Zoom meeting. Courtesy/LAC
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
No one could predict the COVID-19 pandemic but as a result of instituting changes at the Los Alamos Municipal Court, Judge Elizabeth Allen and her staff accomplished something few other courts are able to do at this time, which is continue operating and offering resources to those who need it.
Allen said the Municipal Court staff made the decision to go paperless or “paper light” last year. She explained the court staff just uses what they need to file but everything else is now electronic.
“We just did it because we like trees,” Allen said.
Plus, moving everything from paper to electronic has helped the court’s processes be efficient, she said.
“It’s really streamlined a lot of what we need to do,” Allen said.
Municipal Court Administrator Juanita McNiel said the court’s website was updated to include probation forms, links to online courses for individuals ordered to perform community service and other resources. The website can be accessed here.
“We can’t lose sight of these people that we are managing,” McNiel said.
Besides moving operations to be more electronic, Allen said they turned to the Los Alamos County IT Department to receive VPN access, which allows the court’s staff to work remotely. Plus, Allen said the court can access Zoom for numerous things. The virtual meeting app can be used for court hearings while probation officers use it to check in with clients and attorneys and clients can communicate using Zoom.
Allen credited the County’s IT Department with getting the court to operate online.
“They were really helpful… other counties don’t have access or the IT capabilities or security (to do this) but our IT were really on the ball with it,” she said.
While the Court has stepped into the digital arena, the court room is still open to people who need to appear in person. Allen said the court is setup so there is no contact. People do not need to touch anything. Additionally, social distancing is practiced, and the building is regularly cleaned.
The changes have been a success, Allen said.
“We have been doing these check-ins with Zoom since the day of the stay at home order … it’s been surprisingly successful,” Allen said.
McNiel pointed out that many people have utilized the online classes; adding individuals can also access behavioral health services when needed. The Municipal Court has taken on the costs of offering those classes, she said. Another benefit, McNiel said, is Zoom allows probation officers to communicate and check in with clients, which is valuable during these stressful times. The ability to continue business will be advantageous once the stay-at-home public health order is lifted, Allen said. Many courts have had to close, which means they will have a backlog of cases once they reopen. The Municipal Court will not have that issue, she said. While the changes in the court’s operations have been beneficial, Allen and McNiel said they learned a lot from this experience, too.
Allen emphasized how important it is to be flexible. She added the court wanted to make sure it was being reactive to the pandemic situation rather than completely shutting down and dealing with a massive backlog of work later.
“We can be proactive about being reactive to people’s needs,” Allen said.
McNiel echoed this, saying when the Los Alamos Public Schools closed for the year, they initially thought Teen Court would be discontinued for year, too. However, she said it was decided to adopt a new plan and update the court’s website so that the program can continue.
Allen said she is proud of her staff and what they have accomplished.
“I feel we are doing a good job … one of the things you got to do in times like these is look for the good somewhere,” she said.
