Lubbock Lawyers are Upset With Criminal and Family Law Records System
On Friday, October 29th, multiple Lubbock lawyers confronted Lubbock County Commissioners on the issue of their computer system not working correctly.
The lawyers say that the computer system is inoperable enough to violate the basic constitutional rights of local citizens. They also say it costs taxpayers more money for defendants to unnecessarily stay in jail.
KAMC News reports that local attorney Ben Garcia took the lead in making the presentation to commissioners. He said that when a family law client comes in, he would normally be able to type in a case number and get information immediately, but right now, police reports, witness statements, arrest records and more aren't readily available. They end up having to call the county clerk's office, taking away "time and effort from county employees."
Attorney Dwight McDonald also said that clients in jail see incorrect information. In some cases, they would see that they could post bond when a judge has ruled otherwise, making them think the "attorney is either lying or incompetent."
Even before this presentation, it's said that some lawyers had spoken out in the public comment portion of the commissioner's meeting. One of those who spoke out was Bill De Haas, a former city employee who said "Why do I have to tell the commissioner's court there is a problem?" He said that instead of coming to the commissioner's court to tell them there's a problem, he should instead be watching others fix it.
Tyler Technologies, the company that Lubbock County switched to in August of 2021, has yet to comment.
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