New electronic dockets installed at Butler County courts to help visitors

Electronic dockets were installed earlier this month in the general division of Butler County Common Pleas Court. LAUREN PACK/STAFF

Electronic dockets were installed earlier this month in the general division of Butler County Common Pleas Court. LAUREN PACK/STAFF

Visitors to the Butler County Government Services court wing now have a helpful guide to direct them to the correct courtroom for the right case.

With seven general division judges and seven courtrooms plus visiting judge courtrooms on two floors, finding the right courtroom can be confusing and even a bit daunting. Thousands of cases are litigated annually, and each judge can hear 40 cases or more on a busy docket day.

MORE: West Chester quadruple murder case the latest to slow by need for interpreter

So where does one turn to get direction? To the newly installed electronic docket screens.

The easy-to-read electronic docket went live on Dec. 20 on television screens located on the second, third and fourth floors of common pleas court.

Previously, paper printouts including the daily docket of each judge were posted.

“They were hard to read and didn’t look as professional as we wanted,” said Wayne Gilkison, court administrator.

The court teamed with the county information technology services experts Tony Costello and Eric Fletcher to develop the technology that shows the case title, date and time of the scheduled hearing and the judge to hear the case. The screen constantly scrolls to show all cases for the day.

There are also reminders of court decorum, including removing hats in the courtroom and turning cell phones off during court proceedings.

MORE: 53 people indicted in Butler, Warren counties

About the Author