THE AKRON

MUNICIPALCOURT

2005 Annual Report

JUDGE ALISONMcCARTY

Presiding /Administrative Judge for 2005

A word from Administrative/PresidingJudge Alison McCarty

It has been my distinct pleasureto serve as Presiding Judge ofyour Akron Municipal Courtthis year. Our Court continues

to be a national leader in providingprogressive, cost effective, and qualityalternatives to incarceration and litigation. In addition to the DrugCourt, (which celebrated its 11thanniversary this year), the FamilyViolence Court, and the Mental HealthCourt, we also run a Mediation program, a Discretionary RehabilitationProgram (DRP) and a Drivers’ LicenseIntervention Program (LIP). We are oneof the few Municipal Courts in thisstate that have three specialty courtsrunning dockets that intensivelyaddress the needs and problems ofoffenders. Our goal in managingthese programs is to provide the bestpossible service and protection tothe citizens of the Akron MunicipalDistrict as we address the criminaljustice issues that come before us.

In conjunction with our Clerk ofCourts, Jim Laria, the Court estab-lished a web site in 2001 that con-tinues to be a valuable tool for usersof our court. This year the Clerk hasbegun computer imaging of all of ourcivil cases on the website. Lawyersand citizens can now go online toreceive updates on their cases with-out having to come down to thecourthouse. By the close of this year,over 1,000,000 visitors have viewedthe court’s website.

As our court becomes more sophisti-cated and its programs grow, ourneed for an appropriate facilitybecomes more apparent. Quitefrankly, we have run out of room! Wesimply cannot continue to meet theneeds of our constituents in this cur-rent location. Technological advancesand a rise in caseloads make it verydifficult for this court to maintain itsreputation for progressive approachesto crime and its causes without abuilding to suit our needs. Thisreport includes photos that illustrateour problem. Therefore, our judgeshave unanimously agreed to beginthe process of seeking a new build-ing. We will be working with our localcommunity leaders to make that hap-pen in the next few years.

2

I

3

DrugCourt8

Mental HealthCourt

10

The Judges4

FastFacts

16

Clerk ofCourts

15

Website14

SmallClaims

13Probation11

Family ViolenceCourt

9

History of Court5

Push for NeededImprovements

6

F.D/Evictions4,297

Small Claims1,482

Repleims464

4

JUDGE JOHN E. HOLCOMB is a graduate ofBaldwin-WallaceCollege and theUniversity of AkronSchool of Law. In thepast, Judge Holcombserved as Director ofLaw for the City of

Akron and also served as a member ofthe Ohio State Board of Education aswell as the Akron Board of Education.

JUDGE EDNA J.BOYLE graduated from theUniversity of Akronand the University ofAkron School of Law.She served as anAssistant SummitCounty Prosecutor,Juvenile and Probate

Court Magistrate andJudge on the Ninth District Court ofAppeals. She was appointed MunicipalCourt Judge in January 2005.

JUDGE KATHRYN F.CULVER is a graduate ofYoungstown StateUniversity and theUniversity of AkronSchool of Law. She hasserved as Chief AssistantProsecutor, Police LegalAdvisor, Assistant Director

of Law for the City of Akronand also served as a Hearing Examiner forthe Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. She hasserved as Judge since her appointment to thebench in February 2005.

JUDGE LYNNE S. CALLAHANis a graduate ofUniversity of Akronand the University ofAkron School of Law.She has served as anAkron police officer,an Assistant Directorof Law and anAssistant Summit

County Prosecutor. She was appointedJudge in May 1997, and elected to thebench in November 1997. She was re-elected to the bench in 2003.

The Court’s six judges are attorneys and are required by Ohio law to have practicedlaw at least six years prior to becoming a judge. The judges are elected on a non-partisan basis and serve six-year terms. Their role is to supervise the administrationof justice in their respective courts and insure that all trials, court hearings, andadministrative procedures are fair and just.

The Judges

JUDGE ANNALISA S.WILLIAMSgraduated from KentState University with an undergraduate degree in political science, and receivedher masters degree inurban studies. Shereceived her law degree

from the University ofAkron Law School. The judge has servedon the bench since December 2003.

JUDGE ALISONMcCARTYgraduated fromWheaton College andWake ForestUniversity School ofLaw. She served as anAssistant SummitCounty prosecutorhandling felony

criminal cases. She wasappointed Judge in May, 1999, andelected to the bench in November, 1999.She was re-elected to the bench in 2005.

5

History of CourtIn 1910 the legislature established apolice court in Akron vested withjurisdiction over offenses under theordinances of the city and all misde-meanors committed within the limitsof Summit County. It was made acourt of record and was presidedover by an attorney duly admitted topractice in this state.

In 1919 the legislature establishedthe Akron Municipal Court with threesitting judges elected for four-yearterms. In 1930 two judgeships wereadded to the court. In 1939 thelegislature reduced the number ofjudges from five to four. A fifthjudge was again made a member ofthe court in 1967 and the sixth

judgeship was created in 1975. Thejudges now serve six-year terms.

The court now serves a jurisdictionwhich includes the cities of Akronand Fairlawn; the townships of Bath,Richfield, and Springfield; the vil-lages of Lakemore and Richfield;and that part of Mogadore inSummit County.

In 1966 the court moved into theCity-County Safety Building whichwas renamed the Harold K. StubbsJustice Center in 1991 located indowntown Akron. The sitting judgesare Judge John E. Holcomb, LynneS. Callahan, Edna Boyle, AlisonMcCarty, Kathryn F. Culver, andAnnalisa S. Williams.

Pardee, L.S..............1920 - 1923Marsh, F.G................1920 - 1923O’Neil, A.F. ...............1920 - 1925Zesiger, E.E. ............1924 - 1927Underwood, A.B......1924 - 1925Davies, G..................1926 - 1931Hoyt, C.C. .................1926 - 1931Cox, J.E. ....................1928 - 1931Emmons, C.V.D. ......1931 - 1942Roderick, O.M.........1931 - 1961Colopy, S. .................1932 - 1937Werner, H.................1932 - 1935Harvey, F.H. .............1932 - 1935Isham, D.P................1935 - 1943Watters, R.B............1936 - 1937Davies, G..................1938 - 1939Kelly, C.M. ................1938 - 1950Powers, T.M.............1939 - 1971Sacks, C. ..................1943 - 1949

Zook, A.D. ................1944 - 1959McRae, C.B..............1951 - 1963Victor, W.H...............1950 - 1959Price, T.R. ................1960 - 1969Koplin, N...................1960 - 1963Riddle, J.P. ...............1962 - 1969Reed, E.J. .................1964 - 1967VanBerg, H.N...........1964 - 1975Roulhac, J.D. ...........1968 - 1987Hartnett, R.B...........1970 - 1981McFadden, D.B. ......1970 - 1978Colopy, R.H. .............1972 - 1995Winter, J.P. ...............1976 - 1983George, J.J. ..............1976 - 1983Spicer, W.F...............1979 - 1981Murphy, J.E. .............1980 - 1982Schneiderman, T. ...1981 - 1991Mack, M. ..................1983 - 1997Williams, J.R............1983 - 1989

Maxson, R. ...............1983 - 1993Stubbs, H.K. .............1987 - 1989Bond, J......................1989 - 1991Moore, C.D...............1989 - 2004Bayer, E....................1991 - 1991Shapiro, M.A............1991 - 2003Stormer, E.M. ..........1991 - 2004Callahan, M. ............1993 - 1995Carr, D. .....................1995 - 1998Holcomb, J.E. .....1996 - presentCallahan, L.S. .....1997 - presentUnruh, B. ..................1998 - 1999McCarty, A..........1999 - PresentStormer, B. ..............2003 - 2003Williams, A. S. ....2003 - presentCulver, K...................2005 - 2005Boyle, E.. ..................2005 - 2005

6

Push for Needed Improvements

7

Trash Piles

RoachInfestation

Peeling Paint

ContainersCollectingWater from

LeakingRoof

Falling Ceiling Tile

RatPoison

DamagedRecords

Crowded Hallways

Blocked Exit

8

Judge Alison McCarty is theAkron Municipal Drug CourtJudge. The Akron MunicipalDrug Court began in 1995and is the longest running specialty court in Akron.Akron’s Drug Court continuesto serve as a model programfor many Drug Courts acrossthe state. It is a collaborativeeffort between the Akron

Municipal Court, Akron PoliceDepartment, Akron City Prosecutor’sOffice, Public Defender’s Office, AkronMunicipal Probation Department,Summit County Alcohol, Drug Abuseand Mental Health Board, and OrianaHouse, Inc.

The Drug Court philosophy promotescourt-ordered, judicially supervisedtreatment. The participants are maleand female offenders originally chargedwith felonies, either possession ofcocaine or methamphetamine.

All prospective offenders are initiallyscreened by the Oriana House admissions Department to determineeligibility. Police and prosecutors mustalso approve the offender for admissioninto the Drug Court program.

The program requires that theoffender come to court and plead

Drug Court

guilty to a reduced, misdemeanorcharge of Attempted Drug Abuse. Asix-month jail sentence is thenimposed, but suspended. During thecourse of the next year, the partici-pant will undergo assessment andtreatment. The level of treatment isdetermined by the seriousness of theoffender’s addiction. At a minimum,each offender will meet with a case-worker at least once a week, mustattend AA meetings and undergo fre-quent drug testing.

The program is based on a reward/sanction model: if a participant stayssober and performs well in the pro-gram, he or she will receive rewards.If the offender relapses with newdrug use, or fails to comply withother aspects of the program, he orshe will face graduated sanctions,starting with courtroom observationor a few days in jail, leading up tothe final sanction for noncompli-ance: termination from the programand six months in the SummitCounty Jail.

The Drug Court is a successfulmethod of treatment for offenders,and a major component of its suc-cess is the close supervision andinvolvement of the judge.

“Drug courtcan truly

change lives.”

– Judge AlisonMcCarty

9

Family Violence Court

Staff from the Prosecutor’s Office review a file.

The Family Violence Court was imple-mented in April of 1998, in response tothe growing number of domestic violencecases, the need to provide a sanctioningoption to reduce jail crowding, thedesire to address both victim andoffender needs, and the desire toenhance probation supervision and toprotect the public safety.

Akron’s Family Violence Court is adomestic violence diversion program, theonly one of its kind in Ohio, and one ofvery few throughout the country. Theactual program is the combined brain-child of the Oriana House, Inc., theAkron Municipal Court and its probationdepartment, Akron’s prosecutor’s officeand police department, the SummitCounty Prosecutor’s Office, VictimAssistance, the Battered Women’sShelter, and the Public Defender’sOffice. The program provides increasedsupervision of the offender as well asincreased coordination of services.Judge Lynne S. Callahan presides overthe Family Violence Court. Offenderswho enter the Family Violence CourtProgram are required to complete atwenty-six week violence cessation program, as well as case management,one year of probation, drug and alcoholtesting and counseling, when needed,and employment counseling, also whenneeded. Victims are urged to attendthe Early intervention Program andStop the Cycle at the BatteredWomen’s Shelter. They also haveaccess to a victim advocate throughevery step of the proceedings.

Judge Callahan

Judge Callahanand Jill Forster

10

The Akron Mental Health Court wasthe first of its kind in Ohio andremains one of a handful in theUnited States. The Mental HealthCourt was formed, in part, as aresponse to the overwhelming numbersof mentally ill offenders being seenby the Akron Municipal Court.

This program is a collaborative effortbetween the Summit County ADMBoard, Community SupportServices, and the AkronMunicipal Court. Residentialtreatment is provided by OrianaHouse, Inc., Sharp Program.Theprogram is envisioned as a diver-sion program with a significantjail reduction component in theshort and long term. The modelfollows the drug court model withearly intervention and stablerelease into the community withmulti-year intensive probationand frequent court appearances.Prior to the Mental Health Court,mentally ill offenders who were notstable on medications, were waiting

in jail for up to six weeks before acompetency evaluation was complet-ed. This diversion court reduces thetime spent in jail to less than twoweeks. One of the goals of the MentalHealth Court is to end the cycling ofthe mentally ill offender through thelocal jail and the state hospital.

Judge Williams and Mental Health Court team.

Mental Health Court

Judge Williams talks with a client.

One of the goals of the

Mental Health Court

is to end the cycling

of the mentally ill

offender through the

local jail and the state

hospital.

11

Below are listed some important departmental statistics for 2005

Members of the Probation Department.

The Akron Municipal CourtProbation Staff

5228 offenders were referred by the judges and the traffic magistrate for variouscorrectional services and specialized court services.

131 Presentence Investigation referrals were received.

356 Summary Presentence Investigation referrals were received.

528 persons were placed on traditional probation.

$47,187 was collected and disbursed by the Restitution Coordinator.

2800 community service placements were made.

111 defendants entered the Family Violence Court, with a retention rate of 86%.

99 defendants entered the Drug Court with a retention rate of 83%.

703 defendants were screened for the Discretionary Rehabilitation Program.

553 were found to be eligible and approved, with a retention rate of 76%.

Chief ProbationOfficer

Tony Ingram

Deputy ChiefProbation

OfficerJeff Sturmi

Director ofSpecialty

Courts andProgramsJill Forster

To Contact330-375-2760

12

The Akron Municipal Court ServiceBailiff’s Staff

The Service Bailiffs’ Office is comprised of 6 Service Bailiffs, 1Court Secretary/ Court Records Officer,and the Chief Bailiff. This office ischarged with the responsibility to perform Evictions, Levies, Replevins,conduct Bailiff Sales, remove clubs,and provide personal service of allcourt documents generated by TheAkron Municipal Court that requireindividual service. Unlike the court-room bailiffs who perform theirduties in the courtroom, the ServiceBailiffs go out into the community todo their job.

The Outside Bailiffs travel through-out Summit County, into virtuallyevery segment of society to serveBank Aids, F&D’s, Garnishments,Mandatory Orders, Show Causes,Small Claims, Subpoenas, andSummons. They also performEvictions, Levies, Replevins, conduct Bailiff Sales, and remove clubs fromvehicles immobilized by Akron,Richfield, Bath, Fairlawn, Lakemore,Springfield and Cuyahoga FallsPolice Departments.

Some members of the Service Baillif’s Office.

Chief ServiceBailiff

Helen Hurlburt 330-375-2592

13

Small claims magistrates handlemany different types of cases. Theyhear evictions, small claims, rentdeposits, garnishments/executions,mandatory orders, contempt/ showcause, replevin and revivor hearings.

Small Claims Division

Sophie Albrecht Belinda Hinton

Traffic Division

In 2005 the trafficcourt staff handled5,907 cases. 116 ofthose cases were forDUI offenses, 2,131were for DUS offenses,3,321 MM, and2,586 M1-M4 cases.Pictured left are MickWilliams, TrafficSafety Officer, KathyWheeler, Jim Contiand seated isKatarina Cook Traffic Magistrate.

The office is staffed by two part-timemagistrates and support staff. Themagistrates are Sophie Albrecht andBelinda Hinton. The support staff is Melissa Briggs.

Taffic Magistrate Katarina Cook

Small ClaimsMagistrates

Sophie AlbrechtBelinda Hinton330-375-2285

TrafficMagistrate

Katarina Cook330-375-2005

14

Akron Municipal Court Website

Visit our web site at: http://courts.ci.akron.oh.us/

By the end of 2005 over one million visitors had accessed the court website. Inresponse to user feedback the site was rearranged to provide easier access to thespecial programs, records search and outstanding check icons.

ArraignmentCourt

Arraignments of misdemeanor andfelony prisoners are heard in themornings in the arraignment room.This courtroom is usually one of thebusiest courtrooms on any given day.Video equipment allows the Judge tosee and hear the defendant while thedefendant remains in the county jail.

The Akron Municipal Court

website offersanother means

of providing additional

informationfor the people

it serves.

15

Jim Laria is our elected municipal Clerk ofCourts since 1997, being re-elected in1999 and 2005. With 26 years of courtmanagement experience, Jim Laria’s courtcareer started as a bailiff in 1979 when allcourt records were done by hand. Today,the Akron Municipal Court is a moderncomputer network providing immediate on-line services at courts.ci.akron.oh.us. Morethan 1 million visitors have accessed courtinformation. Jim Laria provides the essen-tial requirements of protecting the court’sannual $10,000,000 in gross receipts with8 years of clean audits.

Recognized around Ohio as an innovativeleader in court management, Jim Laria isPresident of the state’s municipal clerksassociation after serving 6 years asEducational Chair. An elected member ofthe Akron School Board in 1995, Jim is aproud graduate of Akron Public Schoolsand the University of Akron in Education.Laria additionally graduated from theNational Judicial College on CourtManagement.

Jim Laria and staff were busy in 2005when they implement House Bill 30, whichLaria championed in our General Assembly.Effective March 31, 2005, the bill allowsfor D.E.T.E.R. holds - preventing renewal oflicense plates or driver licenses - on allhandicap parking tickets. Computer imagingof all civil pleadings began on our website.Deputy clerks work daily with more than fifteen police agencies, prosecutors, judgesand citizens to provide the efficient andeffective delivery of court services in aunique office that is open 24 hours a day,seven days a week, year-round.

Clerk of Courts

The Court is fortunate to have severalretired judges available to sit when aconflict arises, the municipal judgesattending a training seminar or con-ference, or when they just need avacation day. Currently, Judge WilliamPike, Judge Perry Dickinson, JudgeMonte Mack, Judge Ted Schneiderman,and Judge Joyce George serve thecourt as visiting judges.

Visiting Judges

Judicial Associate Laura Killian (center), heads the mediation program.

MediationProgram

16

Fast Facts

��������

�������

�����

�������

F.D/Evictions4,297

Contracts7,161

Small Claims1,482

Replevins464

56,9

60

56,0

59

25,6

97

Total Traffic Criminal Civil

25,4

87

16,4

1716

,315

14,8

46

14,2

57

Total Cases Filed / Disposed

Traffic Court Cases 2005

Top Five Civil Case Filings 2005

17

16,83

3

16,41

7

15,40

6

13,78

9 14,77

6

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

12000

14000

16000

18000

10000

20052001 2002 2003 2004

5 Year Criminal Cases Filed

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

32,62

9

30,26

0

25,69

7

29,64

8

2001 2002 2003 2005

26,32

4

2004

5 Year Traffic Cases Filed

12,14

3

10,13

811,

302

2001 2002 2003 200500

3000

6000

9000

12000

15000

2004

11,99

7

14,84

6

5 Year Civil Cases Filed

1,429

1,863

1,470

002001 2002 2003

1,637

2004

1,482

2005

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

5 Year Small Claims Cases Filed

18

GlimpsesGlimpses

19

THE AKRON

MUNICIPALCOURT

Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center217 South High Street

Akron, Ohio 44308(7th, 8th and 9th Floors)