Citizens Can Resolve Traffic Citations Via (E-Court) Video Conferencing

Persons who have received traffic citations from the DeSoto Police Department are now able to resolve those citations through a video conference court appearance, City of DeSoto’s Municipal Court Manager Jeremy Leonard announced today. “We have tested our system over the past several months and are ready to publicize this new initiative that will make it far more convenient for defendants to resolve their traffic citations with the DeSoto Municipal Court.” Judge Kurth holds an E-Court docket each day at 11:00 a.m. (except for 4th Wednesdays of the month). The process is very user friendly: simply go to the Court’s website at www.desototexas.gov/court and click on VIDEO CONFERENCE THE JUDGE for instructions on how E-Court works and what options are available to you on E-Court. When you are ready to meet with the Judge using E-Court, you will go to https://zoom.us/join where you will be asked to download the “zoom” app. Once the app is downloaded to your pc or mobile device, you will type in the meeting ID 582-661-129 that will immediately establish a video conference with Judge Kurth.

The enormous potential of this new program was seen during the testing period wherein 13% of all of the court’s cases were resolved via the E-Court option. The expectation is for this number to grown significantly in the upcoming months because of the convenience and efficiency it offers citizens. “Judge Kurth has had defendant’s video conference from South Dakota, California and Mississippi as well as Dallas, Carrollton and Houston. Many defendants have been able to resolve their cases without the need to take off work and physically come to the courthouse.” The video conference can be done through any computer or mobile device that is equipped with a camera that has a built in microphone as well as speakers to hear what the Judge is saying back to you. Your device also will need access to a stable internet connection with the ability to send and receive emails.

Following the E-Court appearance, the clerks of the Municipal Court will email a link to the defendant. When the defendant clicks on this link, it will route them to the judgment that has been prepared for the defendant to sign. Once the defendant signs the judgment using their mouse or finger (on touchscreens), the document is automatically routed back to the court where it will be filed on the defendant’s case. The defendant is also emailed a final copy of the signed judgment for their records. “The process is very smooth and efficient, and we are very excited to be among the very first Texas courts to offer this option to our citizens,” said Leonard. Judge Kurth has already successfully employed video conferencing to speed up the process of getting arrest and search warrants signed and issued and to conduct the magistrate hearings at the Tri-City Jail in DeSoto. The Court’s E-Court docket is the next phase in this important project to make access to the Municipal Court more convenient for citizens.