The Montgomery County Common Pleas Courts, which handles felonies and civil cases, bought eight of them to place in courtrooms and other shared spaces as it attempts to restart after slowing down because of coronavirus.
Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Steven Dankof said the purchases were made to protect jurors and court staff.
“A lot of people have the impression that their government couldn’t care less about them. I can assure them that the common pleas court cares about them. We care about the safety of our staff and our employees. Most importantly the parties that come before us and the safety of our jurors,” Dankof said.
Each unit costs about $5,000, Dankof said, with much of the expense being paid for by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, (CARES Act).
“I don’t think we have a tremendous backlog in Montgomery County because we have been pretty thoughtful about it. The judges have been proactive, but there is no question that this technology will allow us to move forward in a much safer fashion, and prospective jurors should feel good about that,” Dankof said.
The court has also taken other precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19. Plexiglass surrounds witness stands and other areas of the courtroom, large dockets that once filled the courtroom no longer do so as defendants appear via teleconference or are asked to wait outside for their case to be called, masks are mandated inside and so is social distancing.
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