ELECTRONIC DATA EXCHANGE BETWEEN DCR AND SHERIFF’S OFFICE In 2022, the Department of Court Records completed a data integration between DCR’S e-filing system and the Sheriff’s new civil process system, CountySuite. This transition modernized the process for DCR to effectively docket sheriff filings and has improved customer service, data accuracy, efficiency, and introduced cost savings for both DCR and Sheriff’s office. Court Records Program Spotlights ELECTRONIC FILING BY THE FIFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT-CIVIL DIVISION DCR worked in conjunction with the Fifth Judicial District Civil Division and court administration to transition the Civil Division judges and staff to electronic filing. This was the first step in a multi-year process to implement mandatory electronic filing in Allegheny County. The Civil Division judges and staff underwent extensive training, developed and delivered by DCR Staff, to learn the process of electronic filing and uploading orders of court, verdicts, and other filings directly into DCR’s electronic filing system. This transition has modernized the process for DCR to effectively docket Court filings and has improved DCR implemented a new policy to eliminate hard copy files for pleadings that are electronically filed. This new policy has resulted in a substantial reduction in the costs to print and maintain those hard copy files. More importantly, it has streamlined the processing of electronically filed documents, resulting in greater efficiency for DCR staff and quicker service to the public. EXPUNGEMENT CLINICS The Department of Court Records Criminal Division participated in expungement clinics in Dormont and the Hill District. During the clinics, DCR’s Criminal Division, the Allegheny County Public Defender’s Office, Career Links, and other state and local officials helped individuals determine if their criminal records in Allegheny County were eligible for expungement. The DCR Criminal Division assisted by accessing and providing records onsite for individuals whose records may have been Clean Slated or were sealed as a result of an Order for Limited Access. In 2022, 243 individuals signed up for assistance to initiate an expungement. If an expungement was not feasible, DCR provided other available options including the process for seeking a pardon. Individuals with criminal records encounter countless obstacles which continue to punish them even after their sentences have been completed. The expungement clinics aim to help those individuals find a new lease on life. The expungement process, when successful, can break down barriers that keep individuals from securing rewarding employment, educational opportunities, and more desirable housing, giving them the tools to break the cycle and create a better life for themselves and their families. INTERNAL DOCKETING SYSTEM data accuracy, efficiency, and cost savings for both DCR and the Courts. RETENTION OF ELECTRONICALLY FILED DOCUMENTS Completed in 2021, however due to a revised policy by the Administration Office of Pennsylvania Courts, in 2022, DCR revisited and completed additional upgrades to the Civil/Family and Wills/Orphans’ Court filing systems to streamline the new business processes for filing confidential information. All DCR Divisions have completed re-training outlining the revisions to the public access policy changes in 2022. Further, DCR added updated security features and Edge web browser compatibility patches to the e-filing system.
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