Case Study: Elkhart County
Courtroom tradition meets technology innovation
When the pandemic halted court proceedings in Elkhart County, Indiana, officials had to get in front of a potential backlog across its nine courtrooms. Last year, the county upgraded to a secure Cisco network to easily hear cases remotely via Webex. This allowed Elkhart County to not just recover and adjust in the face of change, but to thrive.
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Summary
Challenges
- Justice system is built around in-person hearings
- During the COVID-19 shutdown, courts needed a way to safely hear cases, while keeping everyone distanced
Results
- Nine Elkhart County courtrooms, with Webex running on a secure network
- Cases stay on schedule, with participants able to see the courtroom, judge, and presentations
- Facial expressions and body language can be observed
- Court hearings went from 300 people in a room to three: the judge, bailiff, and court reporter
- Reduces risk during pandemic
- Simplifies security
- Eliminates defendant transport, resulting in cost savings
- No litigant travel; attorneys accomplish in 15 minutes what used to take a half day
What the customer is saying
“I was the one who was really resistant to doing remote hearings. Then, I started realizing the benefits. We improved safety, reduced costs, and litigants take a 15-minute break from work for court. There is no downside.”
Michael A. Christofeno, Judge, Elkhart County Circuit Court
Who is Elkhart County?
Industry: Government
Location: Elkhart County, Indiana
Size: More than 1,000 employees
Website: visitelkhartcounty.com
What the partner is saying
“By putting a secure, forward-thinking infrastructure in place, when COVID happened we can [now] handle video arraignment. We’re well-aligned with Cisco for their collaboration.”
Bob Tadevitch, President, Network Solutions
