Strategic Plan

Mission Statement

The primary functions of the Judicial Commissioners Office is to insure public safety by determining probable cause for the issuance of arrest warrants, preserving peace and order, and maintaining misdemeanor citations and criminal summons.

Issue Statements

• Montgomery County population is expected to grow by 60,000 residents over the next five years, which may result in a dramatic increase in county court cases; consequently, without additional resources, Montgomery County citizens will experience:
  • Diminished quality and efficiency of Court services;
  • Greater risk of due process rights violations; and
  • Significant delays in using Court services.
• The Montgomery County population is becoming more ethnically diverse, challenging the Courts to provide needed translation and other support services to guarantee that due process rights are protected.
• Continually evolving laws, higher court decisions, rules, and regulations (e.g., the recent Supreme Court decision in Blakely) will continue to cause significant and unanticipated increases in workload associated with initiating and trying cases.
• The continuing growth in domestic violence cases in Montgomery County challenges the court system to efficiently and effectively process cases while protecting the rights of both the accused and alleged victims.

Goal Statements

• By 2010, the Judicial Commissioners will reduce hearing time to no more than 35 minutes each for 90 percent of the total citizen hearings held. (Director)
• By 30 June 2010, each Judicial Commissioner will have completed no less than eight (8) hours of professional development training. (All)
• By 30 June 2010, the Judicial Commissioners will develop their capacity to communicate with non-English speaking citizens through interpretive services. (Director)

Services / Programs

• Judicial Commissioner
  • Citizen Warrants Program
  • Law Enforcement Officer Warrants Program

Assessment of the Future Based on Stakeholder Comments

Strengths

• Yearly training conferences with JCATS
• Law updates
• Positive working relationship with other judicial commissioners
• Standard policies in place

Opportunities

• N/A: department not set up for advancement

Threats

• Safety hazards (only one entry and exit, public window with large hole, no panic button to alert if faced with trouble, etc.)

Weaknesses

• Poor communication among city and county law enforcement, district attorneys, and judges (different perspectives on the handling of warrant procedures and law)
• Montgomery County judicial commissioners are paid at least $10,000 to $15,000 less than comparable commissioners from other Tennessee counties (average starting pay for other counties is $30,000 to $35,000)

Citizen Services Program

Purpose Statement

The purpose of the Citizen Services Program is to provide probable cause determination and referral services to citizens seeking warrants, criminal summons, or information so they can properly pursue legal recourse.

Performance Measures

Results

• 20 percent increase in probable cause warrants issued (Goals: 2)
• 100 percent service capacity (Goals: 1,2)

Outputs

• Number of additional citizen warrants issued (Goals: 1,2,)

Demands

• Number of probable cause determinations requested by citizens (Goals: 1,2,)
• Number of referrals requested (Goals: 1,2,)

Efficiencies

• Increased productivity with no staff increase (Goals: 1,2,)

Law Enforcement Warrants Program

Purpose Statement

The purpose of the Law Enforcement Warrants Program is to provide probable cause determination services to law enforcement personnel seeking warrants so they can prosecute alleged defendants.

Performance Measures

Results

• Reduce officer holding time by 33 percent (Goals: 2)

Outputs

• Number of officer probable cause determinations provided (Goals: 2)

Demands

• Number of probable cause determinations requested by officers (Goal: 1)

Efficiencies

• Increased productivity with no staff increase (Goals: 1,2)