CLEARFIELD – At night and on each weekend and holiday, Clearfield County’s magisterial district judges take turns to be on call to arraign those accused of committing crimes that happen outside of normal office hours.
Then there are people who are in various state correctional facilities who need to be arraigned in Clearfield County.
In each of these situations, law enforcement officers often find themselves trekking across the county and sometimes across the state to allow someone to appear before a court officer.
This practice will soon be antiquated as wireless videoconferencing systems are set up at the courthouse, jail and at several of the district judges’ offices and homes.
The Clearfield County Commissioners made the announcement at their meeting Tuesday morning and said that very soon, someone will be the first person to be arraigned on charges filed in Clearfield County without ever setting foot inside the historic brick building.
The county paid $35,000 for the system, which includes four units as well as laptops for the district justices. The funding for the set-up was provided by a grant obtained through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Included in the package is also equipment to be utilized by the Domestic Relations office.