After Citizen Times report, Buncombe looks to correct malfunctioning court video system
ASHEVILLE – County staff and court officials met the afternoon of Jan. 22 to discuss the future of virtual first appearances in Buncombe County District Court.
The meeting came hours after publication of a Citizen Times investigation, which found the technology connecting to the jail video monitor that depicts the judge has frequently malfunctioned for about two years. During the meeting later that day, officials discussed short- and long-term solutions.
Public defenders and jail detainees said this technical difficulty made it challenging to understand the court proceeding. Using the blank monitors appears to conflict with state law, which requires that all parties in a virtual court proceeding must see and hear each other. Experts questioned whether using the malfunctioning system violated detainees’ constitutional due process rights.
State and county government acted slowly to respond to the problem. Staff involved in the situation struggled to identify which part of the government is responsible for funding a fix. Buncombe County, which owns the agreement with Johnson Controls Inc., the contractor that maintains the system, often did not know when the system was broken because it was not notified by court officials. Assistant County Manager DK Wesley learned about the problem in July 2023 and again in December, all while the system malfunctioned at multiple points in the fall.
County Information Technology operational services manager Vance Bell convened the Jan. 22 meeting, which was attended by representatives from the county jail, justice services, District Court Judge Julie Kepple, Clerk of Court Jean Marie Christy and Assistant District Attorney Meredith Pressley. Pressley is running for District Court Judge. Bell began coordinating the meeting Jan. 17.
The Citizen Times reached out to Kepple and Pressley for comment. Christy said she was unavailable to speak due to a scheduling conflict.
What was discussed at meeting?
The Citizen Times obtained notes from the meeting, emails coordinating the discussion, and a list of attendants, through public records request. Bell spoke to the Citizen Times Jan. 24 about the meeting.
During the meeting, officials discussed a range of short-term solutions to improve communication over the blank monitors, as well as long-term plans to transition to a consistently functioning system.
Bell said he re-emphasized that jail and court staff should contact the Buncombe County IT service desk, rather than individual IT staffers or a court liaison to county IT, if any issues arise. County IT will also begin sending a monthly email to relevant staff and officials, detailing the issues they are tracking. This will allow recipients to review whether the county is adequately tracking all the technical challenges they encounter in the courthouse. County IT will now join a monthly meeting of judicial stakeholders, which includes court officials and representatives from the county jail and justice services.
“The whole point of this meeting was to reiterate the means of communication and notification of issues,” Bell said.
The Citizen Times previously reported that Buncombe County recently changed its system for evaluating whether the virtual court appearance technology functioned properly. Previously judges would learn if the technology malfunctioned when they joined the courtroom, and the session began. Now, deputies will evaluate whether the monitors show the judge before the proceeding starts, allowing the sheriff’s office to coordinate transporting defendants before court begins.
Bell told the Citizen Times that he would like to ultimately explore conducting virtual first appearances in courtrooms outfitted with CRAVE, the state-launched audio-visual system. Three of Buncombe’s courtrooms currently have this technology. Court officials at the meeting said that transitioning to CRAVE could be logistically challenging, according to Bell.
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The Citizen Times reached out Jan. 24 to each member of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners for their reaction to the malfunctioning system and potential long-term solutions. None responded.
The contractor that maintains the virtual appearance system reported to Bell Jan. 24 that multiple systems that were previously down are currently functioning, after a few days troubleshooting and making repairs.
Mitchell Black covers Buncombe County and health care for the Citizen Times. Email him at mblack@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @MitchABlack. Please help support local journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe to correct jai-courthouse video monitor system
