THE Judiciary and the Department of Public Safety launched the E-Court, E-Citation, and E-PayIt systems on Wednesday.
DPS Highway Patrol Section Sgt. Adrian T. Mendiola, in his remarks, said the implementation of the E-Citation system means that instead of the traditional traffic tickets, motorists will now receive E-Citations.
“This new system allows officers to focus more on enforcement rather than spending time manually inputting citations. With E-Citation in place, officers can operate more efficiently in the field, speeding up the citation issuing process. This allows citations to reach the courts more quickly, giving individuals the opportunity to settle their tickets sooner than usual,” Mendiola said.
He said E-Citation will also enhance data collection.
“The information in the centralized system can support traffic safety analysis and help identify trends in driver citation issuance, prosecution, and case disposition,” he added. “We believe this system has the potential to improve transparency and efficiency by speeding up the process of forwarding summons documents to the courts.”
“Ultimately,” Mendiola added, “the goal is to have information at our fingertips, such as updates on warrants, driving restrictions, and vehicle operator information. This will contribute to keeping our roadways safe.”
The Judiciary’s e-filing projects are funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, CNMI Supreme Court Justice John A. Manglona said.
“Technology plays a prominent role in our strategic plans,” he added. “We have this E-Court Committee that spent probably two-three years revamping our case management system. It is a comprehensive platform that assists all sectors of the Judiciary in Rota, Tinian, and Saipan. That includes information management, document handling, scheduling of hearings, trials, and data reporting,” he said.
Manglona said case management is fully operational and went “live” last December.
He also announced that E-Supervision, which is the second big project for the E-Committee, will go live as early as July.
“E-supervision focuses on the operations of the Drug Court, the Mental Health Court, and the Office of Adult Probation. E-supervision integrates important data [pertaining to] the participants…. Their case management allows for easy accessibility of psychological reports or whatever status reports [there are] for each participant,” he added.
He said the bulk of the funding for the E-Citation module came from DPS.
“DPS officers and staff were heavily involved with the E-Committee. They cleared the hurdles from the procurement process, and the selection of the software vendor. They solved interface issues with the court’s e-filing system and our case management systems,” Manglona added.
In his closing remarks, Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja said, “This achievement will not be possible without the efforts and unwavering commitment of many individuals and government agencies…. Your decision to fund this initiative speaks volumes about our collective commitment to improve public safety and justice in our community.”
Judges Naraja and Kenneth Govendo preside over the traffic docket.
“I am enthusiastic about the impact this system will have on our courts, our justice system and the public we serve,” Naraja said. “With E-Citation, DPS officers can now issue citations more safely, swiftly, and accurately. Our court staff will benefit from streamlined processes through a secured cloud-based platform, and the public will have access to more convenient, secure and user-friendly options for resolving fines and fees. This will be a game changer, particularly for working individuals and visiting guests.”
Naraja said the “launch of the E-Court, E-Citation and E-PayIt systems is more than just a technology upgrade. It is a powerful statement of what we can achieve when our government agencies are behind a common goal. Today’s milestones proved that innovation, collaboration and a shared vision can deliver meaningful progress for our local government
DPS Highway Patrol Section Sgt. Adrian T. Mendiola delivers his remarks while Supreme Court Justice John Manglona and Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja look on.
Photo by Bryan Manabat
Attorney General Edward Manibusan and Rep. Diego Camacho join Judiciary and DPS officials at the launch of the E-Court, E-Citation, and E-PayIt systems on Wednesday.
