Leading the Way With Virtual Court
Organization Profile
- Industry: Municipal Court
- Location: City of Seabrook, Texas
- Population: Approximately 14,000
- Tyler Client Since: 2008
- Tyler Products/Solutions: Municipal Justice, Virtual Court, Notify
Seabrook Municipal Court
When faced with closures at the onset of the pandemic, Seabrook Municipal Court responded with innovation, becoming one of the first courts in the country to adopt a virtual court software solution. Beyond being a pioneer among peers, the city of Seabrook, Texas, was so successful in its implementation of Tyler Technologies' Virtual Court software solution that court staff earned multiple accolades for their efforts — demonstrating that Seabrook can lead the way among any government, large or small.
“We feel like we can accomplish just about anything,” says Jessica Ancira, director of Seabrook Municipal Court Services. “We’re looking forward to innovation.”
Staying Ahead of the Backlog
To avoid a case backlog, court officials were proactive at the beginning of the pandemic. Seabrook’s IT department worked quickly to get staff set up with computers and cell phones at home. The court heard cases over the phone, which was permitted by Texas due to the shutdown. Those calls would include Ancira, Presiding Judge Dick Gregg III, and multiple court clerks.
Seabrook’s quick action paid off: The court completely avoided a backlog and was able to smoothly transition into Tyler’s Virtual Court solution, allowing the city to stay on schedule while keeping court staff and the public safe.
“What we liked about Virtual Court is it had everything about someone’s case in the same software,” says Presiding Judge Dick Gregg III. All of the constituent’s information was organized in one convenient place thanks to the city’s forward-thinking implementation of Virtual Court.
When the court offices opened back up, Seabrook prioritized in-person hearings, but found Virtual Court to be an indispensable tool, giving constituents more avenues for resolution.
By leveraging email and text notifications via Virtual Court, combined with email reminders through Notify, Tyler’s communication software platform, Seabrook increased engagement — providing more accountability than the traditional letter in the mail with a date to show up to court.
Fewer Failure-To-Appears
With Virtual Court’s expanded contact options, along with the ability to hold video hearings, Seabrook was able to cut failures-to-appears in half.
“I’m not having to issue warrants,” Gregg says. “I don’t really want to throw somebody in jail because they don’t appear in court, and this particular option lets them appear by their phone and nowadays, almost everybody has a phone.”
Gregg sees Virtual Court providing more equity in the justice system, allowing people who may have health issues, work conflicts, or just a hard time finding transportation the same access to court as anyone else. There are more avenues for case resolution, with little-to-no interruption to the regular court schedule.
Easy to Learn, Easy to Use
Fewer warrants and failure-to-appears also mean fewer scheduling issues and less paperwork for court staff, Ancira says.
“It takes a good load off the clerks from having to do so much. So, it has changed everything,” Ancira adds.
It was important to Seabrook that Virtual Court be user-friendly at multiple levels. From an employee’s view, it’s straightforward and doesn’t require a huge learning curve. It also makes every step of the process easier, where clerks can add case notes and schedule hearings, which are then immediately available for the judge to view.
“The judge can make comments that the documents can be produced from,” Gregg adds. “And it’s all kept in one place. That is probably the most important part.”
Leading the Way Forward
Seabrook court staff have received multiple awards — from Gregg receiving Jurist of the Year in 2020 by the Texas Municipal Courts Association and, the following year, Ancira being named Court Support Personnel of the Year. In fact, Ancira regularly advises other courts interested in adopting Virtual Court.
“We work in the mindset of a larger city,” Ancira says. “We are very innovative. We love technology. And I would say we always look forward.”