By JODI SOKOLOWSKI
Buffalo Law Journal

The town courts in Cheektowaga and Orchard Park are getting state funds to spend on computer equipment and security measures to improve their operations and make their facilities more secure.

The two courts are among 85 in the 8th Judicial District that are receiving up to $30,000 each to buy new supplies and renovate facilities to be more efficient and safe.

"Our clerks are working at a pace that is unheard of at other town courts," Cheektowaga Town Court administrator Stephanie Lewandowski said, noting that her court handled 6,000 cases in the first quarter of 2008.

The Office of Court Administration's Justice Court Assistance Program increased funding for town and village courts, which are typically funded through the local municipalities, from $1 million last year to $5 million for 2008.

"It is a huge boost to the bloodstream of town and village courts," Lewandowski said.

The funds were increased after studies - including those done through the Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts, or Dunne Commission, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the New York State Bar Association - showed that local courts were not receiving comparable resources to state courts, said Hon. Sharon Townsend, administrative judge for the 8th Judicial District.

Court officials got in touch with local courts' needs through tours of courts throughout the state, she said.

The grants, Townsend said, will give local courts "the resources they need to operate the courts efficiently and in a similar manner (to courts) in the state-funded court system," she said.

The hardware

From computer equipment and filing cabinets to training and software to convert microfilm to digital files, the resources are helping court staff, as well as judges, to be more productive in handling caseloads, Lewandowski said.

Court of Claims judge and acting state Supreme Court Justice Hon. M. William Boller knows the concerns of town and village courts, many of which he describes as "primitive," because he was an Elma town judge for 20 years.

"There was a perception that we were pretty much ignored for years. But due to the action plan, the town and village courts are now in the mainstream with the Office of Court Administration," said Boller, who is a supervising judge for the town and village courts of the 8th Judicial District.

Sources said the funds are crucial for the administration of justice in town and village courts, which are often the first stop for cases - from small claims to criminal complaints - that may move up to state Supreme Court.

"That's why it's critical to have the resources and support at that level and to have all the tools available to them to make sure the cases are handled appropriately and expitiously," Townsend said.

Safe and secure

Orchard Park Town Judge Hon. Edward Pace said the town is fortunate to have low crime rates, but that it takes just one person to "change the whole complexion in a matter of minutes."

"If you don't have proper protection, you're a sitting duck," he said.

While the Cheektowaga Town Court already has a walk-through metal detector and a Kevlar-enhanced bench, the funds will pay for bulletproof glass and other security enhancements.

"We have high-profile cases where we need to make sure we take every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of the bench team and the public," Lewandowski said.

Townsend said even though the 8th Judicial District provides training for local courts, the additional funding for technology and resources boosts morale.

Where many court personnel have in the past felt "isolated," she said, "This assistance has made them appreciative and feeling part of the system."